Shinobi Journalist: Book of Summer
by Yuuguregurl21
Summary: 17-year-old high schoolgirl Sasha A.I Kanaka has been living in Yōkai Gakuen for the past 17 years and is ready to go out into the world for the summer but what awaits her isn't fun and games when the past comes back for an haunting, especially if it involves a certain medical specialist. (Book cover's a gift from Inu-sempai1)
1. I

Authoress: Hello everyone, I'm Yuuguregurl21! After going over my chapters, I've decided to renew my story (and by 'renew', I mean ALL 11 chapters so it'll take a while to finished them all before I move on the other chapters).

The story's plot takes after the Land of Waves and Season I Arcs, it's kind of a mash-up between the Manga/Anime adaptations (Terribly sorry if there's any confusions).

And that's the gist. I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here except for the ones that have this symbol (*). The ones that have this symbol (**) are the ones that my pals from D.A and I have created.

Also, here's an inside look on the protagonist:

Sasha A.I. Kanaka (17):

Occupation: 2nd Year (Sophomore), Newspaper Club Vice-President/Headmaster's 'Shadow Messenger' (影使い 'Kagetsukai')

Personality: Good-natured, hot-blooded (only if she's hears the forbidden words), resourceful, a tad blunt (unless the situation calls for it), stern and strict (Kanaka: 'so long as you don't piss me off with foolishness'), persuasive, compassionate, fun-loving and understanding.

Likes: Reading and researching old myths and ancient folklores, housework, sparring (Kanaka: 'cause it helps keep me calm'), crafting, achieving coexistence with humanity, helping out others, wants to resolve situations without bloodshed.

Dislikes: People calling her 'boyish', 'unrefined' or 'tomboy' (少年らしい 'Shōnenrashī/未精製 'Miseisei'/少年らしい女 'Shōnenrashījo'), other people getting hurt, being threatened, unnecessary violence, standing out and exploiting her powers.

So I ask you my dear readers and soon-to-be readers to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

P.S., here are some pointers:

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

* * *

 **Chapter I: 1** **st** **Step into Exploring the World of Unlimited Light and Diving into the Sea of Infinite Secrecy**

* * *

 **~(Prologue)~**

 _ _**__ ** _ _My earliest memory was only a dream... A dream of deep darkness and a voice calling out to me...__**

 _ _"...Sorry..."__

 _ _A voice cried out into the darkness as raindrops of light tinted with copper-blue drips down as it slowly caused ripples to form before raining down like a waterfall.__

 _ _"...I'm so sorry..."__

 ** _In it, the voice whispered to me so softly, apologizing to me for letting me experience something lonesome and scary..._**

 _ _Very soon, the voice was riddled with choked sobs as the tiny droplets of blue light descends in the cold darkness like rain until it changed into a maroon-red color.__

 _ _"I'm truly sorry for what I am about to do... I won't deny the fact that the road ahead of you is long and harsh but you mustn't lose sight of yourself..."__

 _ _Suddenly, the sound of cracking was heard as they begin to form up like a spider's web as tiny rays of light bleeds through the crevices like water.__

 _ _"I'm sorry for making such a decision for you, but I can only pray that you don't spend your life in hating me for leaving you."__

 _ _The voice said as the cracking soon became louder and louder until the wall shatters into a thousand of pieces like glass as rays of light envelops the darkness until the scene itself was dyed in shades of indigo, illuminated by the light of the crescent moon.__

 _ _ **My second memory was the prelude of my story...**__

* * *

 _ _*'Yōkai Gakuen',__ __commonly known to all as 'Yōkai Private Academy', not much is known about this school except it possesses a very dark and dangerous secret:__

 _ _It's an school that built for *Ayashi to attend!__

 _ _The sole purpose of this establishment is to learn how coexist peacefully with Humanity since the world is now under their control (which is the current main problem today).__

 _ _Everyone from the staff to the students are all Ayashi, hence the fact that there are no genuine Humans attending but if any unsuspecting Human were to enter the school grounds...__

 _ _Ah well, they'll be__ _ _KILLED__ _ _on the spot.__

* * *

 **~(Somewhere near the perimeter of the Yōkai Gakuen** **Girls' Dormitory Building – 17 years later)~**

Upon the northern side of the Girls' Dormitory, lies a modest-sized duplex cottage located on the northern side near the pathway ranging from the dormitories to the campus as the sound of clicking was heard from the 2nd floor window.

"A little graphics here, a little writing there, proofreading and... PRESTO!"

Said the owner of the said cottage - It was a young girl with dark rondo-purple hair like the *'Kyōto purple' Lisianthus flower in the early summer as her side-swept fringe covers her eyes - As she continues to type on her laptop's keyboard automatically while sitting on top of her futon crossed legged as she was typing up on her dark purplish laptop revealing a summer-colored desktop:

*~Saika no Kisetsugi~ ** _  
_**

Today's Topic:

 **[SUMMERTIME IN THE HUMAN WORLD]**

The girl smiled proudly at her work she looked over to the lower left-hand corner and saw the time as she lets out a surprised gasp, causing her to jump off her futon as she runs about in her room frantically.

"Oh crap, it's nearly 1:30...?!"

She said as she hops straight into her bathroom, turning the bath faucet and takes a quick shower, fumbling about and caused some objects to fall from the shelves as she lets out a yelp.

 **Thump**!

"Ow, that smarts...!"

After calming down, attended her injuries, donning a simple long-sleeved purple shirt and black shorts, the girl instantly made her way over to the closet, grabbing a midnight-blue sleeveless hoodie and a pair of black-amethyst stockings, hopping on one foot before doing the same to the other leg before she move to tie her dark rondo-purple hair into a half-ponytail with an indigo-purple velvet ribbon and dons an dark purple fluorite crystal pendulum necklace entwined with a pair of blue zircon dragons as she makes her was back to her desk, grabbing her messenger bag and starts packing her laptop, clothes and necessities while going over her little schedule.

"I'll work on the column a bit more while I'm over there...!"

She said as she finishes up and goes over her list again for good measure before she realizes that something was missing, causing her to look from the mirror to the opposite side of the room and saw a small object reflecting her image back to her.

"Huh? Oh geez, to think I've nearly forgotten one last important item... '[Well, it's not like I'm going to need it anyway...]'"

She said as she makes her way to her dresser and reaches for a *lépine savonnette-like lidless mirror with an *hoshizukiyo-colored rimmed as a twilight-colored *shibori tied at the metal ring and places it in her left pocket then she turns to the front door and opens it as the light switch off simultaneously.

"Well, with that done, it's time to meet up with the others at the bus stop otherwise they'll go on without me––?!"

She said as she locks the front door and made her way to the gate before remembering that it was in need of repair due to an incident concerning the Headmaster's pet *kaijū-nezumi rampaging and caused the gate's bolts to jam together, making it difficult to open, causing the girl to walk back a few steps before swiftly turning on her heels and ran towards to the jammed gate before she channeled her *yōki into her legs as she effortlessly performed a backflip over the fence and landed safely onto the ground.

"Yōkai Gakuen 2nd Class Sophomore, *Sasha A.I Kanaka, FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

The girl, now revealed as Sasha, shouted loudly as the wind ruffles her bangs out of the way, revealing her eyes to be a mesmerizing shade of navy-blue much like the color of midsummer evening as she brims with confidence and makes her way on the path and over to the bus stop.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile somewhere on Yōkai Gakuen Rooftop)~**

The wind blew through the dormitories surrounded by the haunted forest filled with tombstones and grave-markers as the campus entrance can be seen up ahead as it leads upwards to the rooftops encased by a series of black iron fence which surrounds the rooftops and behind reveals a young man wearing church attire that priests and monks had worn back in the ancient times.

"So it's been 17 years already, huh...? '[So the day has finally come... I wonder how she'll handle herself...?]'"

The mysterious figure said as he thought curiously as the wind howling vividly as the hood's hemline begins to waver like ripple in the calm water and takes it off entirely as his silvery-white hair flows along with the wind – He leans against the bars as his eyes looks pass the fence as he sees the said girl walking towards to bus stop.

"'[However, knowing her antics...]' *sigh* Looks like I have to prepare myself a couple of all-nighters––?!"

"Oya~ Now this is a sight! The 'Strategist', Tenmei Mikogami, is displaying a depressed look like a father giving his daughter away for marriage."

After seeing how excited the young nōshishoku-haired high schoolgirl is as she walks along the path and recalling the past events that she was in, the figure –– Now known as Tenmei Mikogami –– sighed exasperatedly as he dejectedly prepares himself for a grand amount of paperwork before sensing an familiar presence coming from behind him as a small anger mark appeared on top of Tenmei's forehead as he turns around to see a young tall *Bishōnen with long unkempt black hair – He wore a black robe tied with a decorated sash around the waist followed by a white bell-sleeved robe.

"But then again, this isn't the first time that something like this has happen..."

He said while leaning against the stone railing as he inhaled tobacco from his *kiseru and exhaled puff of smoke as he re-adjusted his dark circular glasses neatly to the bridge of his nose as Tenmei stayed silent for a moment until he broke the ice by smirking as he gives the young man his second opinion.

"Tōhō Fuhai, I prefer the term 'Honored Student' however you're right about one thing; Kanaka-kun has excelled in everything ranging from literature, history and war strategy. So much in fact, that she can easily surpass her classmates if she desired; but I can't shake this foreboding of mine."

Tenmei said as Fuhai raised a brow when the wind howled even louder than before as he stretched out his arms as he walks over to his teammate and stared out in the distance.

"You know, I once read an article that distress can cause gray hair to grow faster––?!"

Tōhō Fuhai said jokingly before raising his left hand up as he covered Tenmei's mouth to prevent him from chanting a spell as the latter pulled out a rosary from his chest pocket.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding~! You know, the least you can do is to humor me, Mikogami...?"

"We've known each other for the last 200 years and not once have they made me laugh."

"Geez, since when did you become such a square?"

Fuhai asked light-heartedly as Tenmei retorted bluntly as he retracts his hand before images flashed before his eyes and remembers the day when Sasha was brought here 3 days after she 'awakened' as if it was only yesterday.

* * *

 **~(Flashback – Yōkai Gakuen Institution Inner Courtyard – 17 years ago)~**

 _The dark gray sky rumbled lightly and the clouds moved slowly overhead as it darkens the secret world concealed by the Great Barrier as silence lingered in the air before it was broken by the sound of someone drawing in the dirt was heard._

 _"So that's the girl?"_

 _Tenmei asks as he sees a young girl wearing a cobalt-blue/black pleated-checkered dress with a starlight-gray long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark blue/purple lined hooded cloak followed by pale brown-colored stockings and white tennis shoes hunched over as she continues to draw doodles in the ground without even noticing that she was being watched by the former himself from his office's window._

 _"Yes. She's a resident of the hidden Yōkai village, *Shinrinmura and is one of the youngest candidates for the *Sanrō-ikkō."_

 _Said one of Tenmei's subordinates as he looks over the child's profile and informed his employer the rest of it including personal details whereas the listener himself was preoccupied by the appearance of a ball rolling towards the girl's way and sees a few preschoolers walking up to the latter as they engaged the girl into a conversation._

 _"Oh, so she's a member of the mysterious race, the *Ainokoyō, huh?"_

 _"Yes and furthermore––?!"_

 _"How very interesting..."_

 _The man said but was interrupted by Tenmei as he silently predicts that the young girl's upbringing will become much more interesting during the latter's stay, but little did he know that his prediction would later become a reality 17 years later..._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback – Present time)~**

"'[Is what I said at the time but what I didn't realize that the girl had exceeded all my expectations... If only she embraced her powers and past altogether]'."

"Heh heh, I had a feeling you'll say that... Fun fact about the *Sanjo is that they're much more feistier than your average country bumpkin."

Tenmei thought back how interesting of how she'll grow over the years as he looks beyond the gates as the wind grew strong enough to rustle even the most stilled forests as it breaks their silence as Tōhō Fuhai reassures his young companion as the scene soon switches back to Sasha walking along the trail to the bus stop, reminiscing of how much time had passed.

"'[To think that I'll be able to walk out of here just like that.]'"

Sasha thought as she smiled when the wind spirals around a few times as she walks from a rocky corner and enters a clearing to see a old tree with stretched-out branches with a small scarecrow stationed at its base as she sees a boy and a girl talking inaudibly as they positioned themselves high up into the tree and seated next to each other onto one of its branches, unaware of the girl's presence and the mischievous smirk that graced her lips.

"Well now, isn't this just sweet?"

"AH!"

Even though she's been called a 'spoilsport' whenever work was involved, Sasha couldn't help but to tease the two *'Airigai-tachi' and their antics while secretly rooting for their success of hooking up as she sees them both jolt and looked down from the tree and blushed nervously, causing Sasha to smile deviously and feigned innocence.

"I hope that I'm not interrupting things between you two lovebirds!"

"K-Kanaka-san! How long were you––?!"

Asked Aono Tsukune as he jumps from the tree branch - A young light-tanned boy with dark brown hair and matching eyes - He wore a white T-shirt underneath a buttoned-up green shirt followed by a pair of brown cargo pants held by a black belt along with white sneakers.

"Just got here but if you guys want some alone time together, then I completely understand––?!"

"N-no no, we weren't doing anything like that Kanaka-san, honest!"

The next to protest was Akashiya Moka - A young fair-skinned girl with long knee-length pink hair and *matcha-green eyes - She wore the academy's standard girls' uniform with the exception of her rosario hanging securely around her neck and the coat jacket – She said as she unknowingly hurts Tsukune's feelings, causing him to gaped in shock and sulks dejectedly much to Sasha's amusement.

"'[O' woe to the daily struggles of the average guy...]' I was just kidding, Moka-chan and I told you to stop with the formalities already, there's no need to address me like that since we're practically the same age."

Sasha thought deadpanned as she reassured the young vampiress that she was only teasing them before asking the latter to stop addressing the former in a formal way.

"Sorry. So, Sasha-chan, are you ready for the retreat this year?"

"Yep, I've been waiting for this chance my entire life!"

Moka said apologetically before asking Sasha if she was excited to enter the Human World in which caused the latter to answer ecstatically.

"Speaking of the retreat, you never did told us the reason why you didn't participate in last year's retreat and the field trip to the Human World."

"Yeah, what was all that about?"

Both Moka and Tsukune asked curiously as they remembered the times of Sasha not participating in the two events concerning the Human World before Sasha gulped nervously and thought of an excuse to throw them off.

"Ah well, let's just say that I wanted to brush up my skills a bit more until graduation came, you know? '[Well, it's not entirely true... Up till now, I've been so content about telling them the real reason once we all graduate, which was supposed to be the plan but... Apparently, the Old Man has something else in mind.]'"

Sasha said as she secretly thinks of wanting to tell the others the reason behind her staying behind in regards to the events concerning the Human World before remembering her meeting with the Headmaster 3 months prior.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 3 months** **ago** **)~**

 _The clouds shrouded the campus with its shadowy darkness as a source of light was lit as it flickers slightly almost like it was dancing as the silence was broken by the sound of knocking at the end of the room._

 _** **When I first came here, I knew that my new life** **here** **would be no different than spending time in a detention centre.**_

 _"Yes, what is it?"_

 _Asked Tenmei as he looks out into the window with his back turned against the door as the muffled sound of a young woman was heard from the other side._

 _"Pardon my intrusion, Chairman but I've brought the girl."_

 _Tenmei asks for the woman to send in the recipient as it reveals to be a casually-dressed Sasha as she walked into the room softly as Tenmei smiled and gestures over to the chair positioned in front of his desk as the girl bowed and seated quietly._

 _"You wanted to see me sir?"_

 _"Yes, there's something I want to discuss with you. Are you still aware of what had happen during your 3rd year back in Junior High?"_

 _Tenmei then talked about her Junior High years much to the latter's displeasure while the latter herself thought about it before answering the former reluctantly._

 _**Due to an** **past** **inciden** **t** **, I was prohibited from** **EVER** **leaving the school grounds until graduation came and that's something that I had to accept, whether I like it or not...**_

 _"Yes... '[Not a day goes by when I don't think of it...]'_ _But what does that have to do with me––?!"_

 _"I'll cut to the chase: it's my deepest pleasure that you now have the opportunity to go with your club for their summer retreat this year."_

 _... ... ..._

 _"EH!?"_

 _Tenmei said bluntly as the room went silent for a brief time before it was broken by Sasha's exclamation as she lets out a loud gasp so much in fact that it had caused her to cough uncontrollably as Tenmei remained calm._

 **_...Or at least, that's what I thought originally._**

 _"*Koff-koff* A-A-Are you serious, Headmaster Mikogami?! But what about the–– The condition was––?!"_

 _"'Unless a part of you is on his person at all times, you are not to step outside the barrier's boundaries', right? Well, it just so happens that the condition only applies IF *Kagenashi-kun is out of your reach."_

 _"'Out of my reach'––? But wait, that means––?!"_

 _Tenmei said as he recites the said 'condition' again to the young baffled Sasha as her mind begins to process the meaning of the loophole as her eyes widened at the realization while Tenmei smiled politely and declared the outcome._

 _"*Sasha Aiki-Ichiya Kanaka, the time for you to enter the Human World is now..."_

 _ **From that moment on, my caged world veiled in darkness** **had now began to brighten up.**_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

Sasha thought silently as she, Tsukune and Moka began to hear a couple of voices coming from the corner of the pathway and saw four girls and one boy coming towards them as one of them called out.

"Ara~ *Ohayo-gozaimasu, Tsukune!"

The first to greet was Kurono Kurumu - A young girl with light ocean-blue hair tied back with a headband and deep purple eyes with thick eyelashes - She wore the school's summer uniform as well as donning her usual leg warmers and black loafers - She runs up to Tsukune and hugs him head-on as she, once again, 'smothers' him with her large breasts, prompting Moka to twitch in anger and wasted no expense of prying the flirtatious succubus off of Tsukune before he dies of suffocation.

"Moka-san, Tsukune-san––?! Sasha-san, are you also coming with us to the Human World too, -Desu, desu?!"

"You bet! I can't wait to see Otonashi-nēsan again after this whole time!"

The second girl to greet is Sendō Yukari – A young girl with short brownish-black hair and amethyst-purple eyes - She wore a modified form of the school's uniform that is accented with a pink top and matching corset along with pale yellow over-the-knee socks and brown shoes followed by a black witch hat drooping down - But got sidetracked by Sasha's 'unexpected' appearance as she asked the former excitedly about her staying with the group, to which the latter replied enthusiastically.

"So wait, you're actually coming with us this time?"

The third girl to greet was Shirayuki Mizore – A young girl with short light purple hair and blue eyes - She wore a black singlet underneath a white sweatshirt with long dark blue sleeves and a yellow pendant followed by the uniform skirt along with a belt tied to her left leg and dons a pair of long dark/light purple striped stockings with white shoes.

"Ah well, someone has to keep on eye on you guys from going all-out, especially after that one incident with the *PSC, the other time during the school field trip to Kyōto and that one OTHER time during the chaotic havoc caused by a certain SOMEONE stealing the Headmaster's *Mirror."

Sasha said as she remembers of how the other girls (mainly one girl) had managed to cause 3 disturbances on 3 separate occasions with the course of 2 years' time, much to the girls' shock and awe at the former's information.

"Sasha, are you sure that you're not a STALKER...!"

Mizore said as she remarks the latter's intelligence, regardless of the fact that she was mostly absent during the course of last year, that it was considered frightening to some whereas Sasha smirked lightly in amusement before she was interrupted by another voice.

"Well considering the fact that you come and go once an week, I'm surprised that you haven't peeled over and died of exhaustion yet."

The one who called out was Moka's younger sister, Shuzen Kokoa - A young girl with green eyes and red-orange hair tied into two bushy ponytails with red bows – Like Mizore and Yukari, she wore a short-sleeved red/white plaided *seifuku-top followed by the academy's skirt along red-brown stockings with a white stripe at the top along with brown heels with bows and a little bracelet on her left wrist.

"Uh, Kokoa-chan; I believe you got it all wrong... You're suppose to say 'Well, considering how much of a hard-worker she is, Kanaka-sempai is the coolest~~!'."

"Now why would I do that? It's obvious that it's a lie, considering the fact that you often bite off more than you can chew."

Sasha enunciated through gritted teeth only to have Kokoa shrugged it off and retorted with sarcasm as Sasha's brow twitched in annoyance and growled softly to her underclassman.

"Kokoa, temē..."

"Well, what're you going to do about it, huh? Little Miss *Shōnenrashī––?!"

"Who're you calling an hot-blooded tomboy that can't even score herself a date because she's deemed as one of the guys due to her boyish looks, you jerk!?"

"Nobody said that, you selective-hearing idiot!"

Kokoa retorted by nearly saying one of the Newspaper club's 'FORBIDDEN' words in which Sasha shouts in response as Kokoa twitches in annoyance and retaliated as they've begun their verbal assaults to each other, much to everyone's dismay.

"*Nekketsu-rekijo!"

"Oh that's real original, little miss *Anefukugō...!"

"You would think that after 3 months of constant bickering would've give these two a pair of ulcers..."

Mizore asked bluntly as she and the others watched the verbal fight before Huáng Fāng-Fāng – A young Bishōnen with black hair tied in a long braid and pink eyes - He wore a form-fitting sleeveless navy-blue/black *tángzhuāng followed by blue jeans and matching tennis shoes – Steps in and breaks up the fight between the two girls, pacifying them effortlessly.

"Now now, this is suppose to be a momentous occasion for the club and its members, so let's all agree to disagree and enjoy the summer, OK?"

"Tch, fine~"

"All right."

He inquired peacefully as Sasha and Kokoa diffused their fight but continued to glared daggers at each other before they all heard the sound of an bus engine coming from the tunnel as it comes to a full-stop and opens its doors, revealing their homeroom teacher, Nekonome Shizuka – A young woman with sandy-blond short hair as the top half strongly resembles cat ears and dons a pair of *akagi-coloured glasses - She wore a lavender/lilac camouflage blouse followed by an ocean-blue skirt along with a pair of low-heeled white sandals.

"Hello everyone~!"

"Your tail's out, Nekonome-Sensei...!"

"Iya~~"

Nekonome said cheerfully as her tail pooped out in excitement, causing Sasha to point out Nekonome's poor performance of concealment and dodges the claw attack swiftly as it lands on Tsukune, who unfortunately got caught in the crossfire, much to Moka and the others' dismay.

"Kya! Tsukune~~~!"

* * *

 **~(Few Minutes later...)~**

After settling down and everyone boarded the bus with the exception of Sasha as she turns around to see the school in the distance before looking up to the sky and see the clouds shrouding the sun when suddenly, Sasha felt an incoming surge of white-hot searing pain is her right eye as it threatens to draw blood from the socket, causing the girl to grasp it in revelation, dropping her bag in the process as it draws attention to two of her fellow staff members.

"Shit...! '[M-my eye...]' O-Ouch..."

"Hmm? Hey, is there something wrong, Kanaka-kun...?"

Sasha thought as she feels the stinging pain in her right eye before she heard fellow staff members, Tōjō Rubi - A young girl with long dark black hair with two locks tied into ponytails on either side and reddish-pink eyes - She wore a carnation-pink corset with long brown frilled-skirt and black high-heeled shoes – As she and the school bus driver, Nurari looks over to the young journalist in confusion.

"Tōjō-san? Ah–– No, It's nothing, just got some dirt in my eye, that's all."

Fearing what their reactions will be, Sasha immediately straightens herself up and wipes away any sort of discomfort as she replies breathlessly while the pain was fading away and made her way to the window seat as Nurari shrugs it off while reaching for the lever to close the doors and restarted on the engine as the bus slowly made its way over to the tunnel.

"'[Come to think of it, I haven't felt something like that intense in a long time... Not since that day...]'"

While feeling relief from the pain, Sasha thought about its outburst suspiciously as she remembers that an similar event had happened to her but was force to set it aside as she was pulled away from her train of thought to see three of her fellow female classmates arguing as the bus enters the 4th Dimensional Tunnel connecting to the Human World as Kurumu and the others fighting amongst themselves about who gets to seat next to Tsukune while Nurari secretly looks over his shoulder to Sasha's direction and thought about what his good friend had proposed prior to the now.

 _** **[Upon the final week of June, I think it's about time for Kanaka-kun to stop being 'tied' down by the 'shadows' and start living in the 'light'...]**_

"'[Mikogami... Are you really sure about this? Are you that confident that the seal will hold during the girl's stay in the Human world...?]'"

Nurari thought reluctantly as the bus was filled with laughter of bliss, pure intentions and hilarious gags as the scene slowly deteriorates like water, revealing a opened clearing located somewhere outside the Great Barrier as it was blanketed by a large cloud as the sound of pacing was heard from inside a deserted cabin.

"'And so, the caged bird has been freed from its cage and set its sight to soar the skies...' But what awaits her is not the joy of freedom but rather, DESPAIR."

Said an unknown figure as he paces back and forth inside the cabin before turning his attention over to his cloaked assistant who was kneeling down in respect.

"Sir, I swear on my life, I will not fail you..."

She said curtly before she disappears into thin air as the man was left alone for a minutes until he picks up a dart and takes a few steps from the wall.

"Very well then... Let the Hunt begin."

He said as he twirls a black dart in his hand until he threw it across the room until it landed a few inches from a photo depicting Sasha A.I Kanaka donning the high school uniform before it was slightly dyed red from the wall as the man smirked sinisterly and broke out in laughter, revealing that an intruder was listening from the outside as a small stream of blood flows from the wall to the ground, revealing an lightly steeped footprints.

* * *

 **~(Seconds later)~**

"'[Dammit, I got careless...!]'"

The mysterious figure thought bitterly as he rushes through the forest as if the devil was after him, panting breathlessly as he jumps high up in the foliage canopy, leaping from one branch to another, gripping his left shoulder in pain as a trail of blood falls behind him as it stains the ground like a painter flicking a paint onto an blank canvas.

 _*pant, pant*_

With each passing breath, the figure soon slowed a bit and rested against the trunk, peering slightly and calmly rethink the situation as he hisses in pain while the sky darken with passing clouds as it shadows the landscape briefly.

"Ah, shit...!"

"Too late..."

But before he can even take a breather, he was ambushed from all sides as they launched an all-out assault against the latter as the tree was caught in an explosion, resulting the boy's descent from the treetops.

 **BOOM**!

"Ugh...!"

He cried out in pain as he falls down to the ground as bark, splinters and a balk of clothing came falling out from the trees and landed onto the floor as the attackers lands away from it.

"Tut, tut, didn't your master teach you that letting your guard down is a HUGE no-no?"

The leader smiled smugly as she mockingly reprimanded the down figure, prompting the other two to join the jeering as they waited for the fire to die down and the smoke to clear.

"No one has EVER survived the 'Trinity Attack Formation' of the *Senryōken and lived to tell the tale about it, so let this forest drink deep of your blood as you atone for your ignorance."

 _*Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump..._ *

The smoke finally cleared and revealed the charred body of the intruder but before they can savor their victory, they were rendered speechless as they find that their target had survived the attack and disguised a log with the cloak.

"What the––?! *Kawarimi no Jutsu?!"

The Senryōken looked around the clearing for the eluding target as they slowly closed the space between each other before feeling a strong amount of yōki filling the air as a voice softly calls out.

"Too little, too late..."

Suddenly, a flash of black and purple appears and began its assault as the sound of punching was heard before the Senryōken collapsed to the ground, unconscious as the clouds moved out of the way and illuminated the landscape as a lone shadow looms over them like a banshee.

"Sorry, but it's gonna take more than a surprise attack to take me down."

It was a tall young man with dark rondo-purple hair tied into a long ponytail and dons a long black scarf as it covers his mouth, revealing a pair of sharp navy-blue eyes – He wore long-sleeved kimono-style black shirt with matching form-fitting pants followed by shin-length low-heeled ebony-black boots.

"I've heard that they're strengthening their influence over in the Underground but I didn't think it would this powerful..."

As he voiced his displeasure of the enemy's upper hand as the wind sailed throughout the trees before he pondered the serendipity, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"'[But I got to hand it to them, to make their move the instant that the 'Strategist' made his...]' If they get to Sasha first before we do, then..."

He whispered before trailing off, not wanting to think about the outcome as he takes out a blank *makimono along with a modified *sumizuriko, writing a brief message with swiftness before taking out an sleek ebony-black kiseru-like canister from his right hostler with the intention of unscrewing the top before sensing multiple outbursts of *Sakki coming from the trees as he sighs irritably.

"Tch, sending in the B-TEAM to do the Big Boss's dirty work, typical..."

He said as a kunai sails from the dark canopy through the air until it was deflected by the latter's scarf, much to the new enemies' shock and readied themselves to attack.

"But regardless, I won't let that bastard's plan come to pass, I swear it upon my life."

He calmly declared as the wind howled ferociously, the leaves fall from the trees and fluttered about, encircling the clearing as the enemies prepared themselves to fight against their worthy adversary as the sunlight bleeds through the treetop canopy and reveals it to be–– Sasha A.I Kanaka...?!

* * *

Hope you all like it!

All in all, I hope to learn loads from your reviews and suggestions but before I forget, here are some points and will appear in the next upcoming chapters and upon a much later note, I will be uploading an Bonus chapter featuring the OC's attacks, explanations and much more so until then, Mata nē!


	2. II

Authoress: The II Chapter is finally here~! (Though it did took me a while to rewrite a few things~)...

With that said and done, please enjoy the show! Stay tune with the next ones!

P.S., the pointers are still the same as before:

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **bold/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

And once again, I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here except for the ones that have this symbol (*). The ones that have this symbol (**) are the ones that my pals from D.A and I have created.

* * *

 **Chapter II: 2nd Step into Accepting One's Commission, Reassuring One's Doubts and Surpassing One's Expectations**

* * *

 **~(In the meantime – Somewhere near the outskirts of *Tanzaku Quarters)~**

Around the same time as the Newspaper Club's departure for the Human World, inside a vacant cottage stationed near the outskirts of the Tanzaku Quarters lies a cloaked figure as he surveys the scene inside of a basin-like pool before diverting his attention over to his bodyguard, who entered the room with the intention of giving a report.

"Report, *Kojūrō."

"This came in: 'The caged bird has been released.'"

Kojūrō said as he informs him of their elders' orders of departure to the cloaked young man, his hood flinched lightly as Kojūrō continued on and made the former's theory known.

"It's as you have surmised, Masayuki-sama. Judging by his reaction and the serendipity between the times, I'd say it's not good."

Kojūrō said as he recounted the said leader's reaction before Masayuki's eyes flickered slightly and looked back to the pool with concern etching itself on his brow.

"I see... '[It's quite possible, considering that the reports of *Ghoul outbreaks and the sudden increase of her workload seems too much to be a coincidence, let alone an conjunction...]'"

Masayuki thought curiously before trailing off in thought and continued to theorized the mysterious man's motives as he recalls of seeing the timetables between Sasha and her 'part-time job' and was about to put the pieces together until he was brought back by Kojūrō.

"Masayuki-sama...?"

"'[Are all our suspicions groundless or is she prepared for the worse...?]' Kojūrō, go back to the village and tell *Nīsan to get ready."

"Hai!"

Masayuki thought suspiciously before giving Kojūrō the orders to begin preparations for the 'worst-case scenario' that was about to unfold as the latter replied curtly and exited the room, leaving the young man to his thoughts once again.

"'[It's been 17 years since that day. We can't let this generation experience the same pain and suffering that we went through...]'"

Masayuki thought as an image of fire appeared in his mind before revealing a shadowed silhouette of a village burning and a masked figure appearing near the center of the destruction, saved for its eerie sickly-green eyes... Something that has haunted him for the past 17 years.

"'[It's only a matter of time before the enemy's GAME begins...]'"

Masayuki thought as he kneels down to the basin and unveils its cloud-like shroud, revealing another location inside a vast sea of green as it zeros in on a particular group.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile somewhere in the border between the *Hi no Kuni and *Kaze no Kuni)~**

Around the same time, the summer sunlight blares down on an vast sea of lush and green surrounded by mountains as the trees swayed and the shadows danced like bamboo in the wind before the silence was by the sound of men loading crates and cargo on to caravans, talking amongst themselves in the process.

"Hey dude, where's the rations?"

"They're over here!"

Suddenly, all talk had ceased as the sound of a clap ranged out into the clearing, just enough for the men to give their undivided attention.

"Alright, alright; let's get this meeting started! The sooner we do this, the sooner we finish!"

Cried *Mikazuki Makkuro - A young man with chin-length bellflower-blue hair slicked back as his hazel-green eyes were shaded behind light-tinted sunglasses - He wore a black shirt and camouflage-green jeans followed by a pine-green *jinbaori tied with a black *datejime along with black sandals - As he diverts everyone's attention over to him and to the black board stationed between two oak trees.

"So *Shuryō, what are we gonna do?"

Inquired *Hiyuri Shunsuke - A young man with smoky-brown short hair tied into a small ponytail and forest-green eyes - He wore a sleeveless black shirt with grayish-blue pants followed by blackish-blue heeled sandals – Makkuro pondered for a minute before swiftly taking out a photograph from his jacket and showed it to the men while secretly stealing a glance at one of the young recruits.

"Our main objective is this girl: The order is to find and capture at all cost."

"Eh? So like, are we going to go all-out for one girl? This chick seems pretty harmless to me."

Makkuro said as he hands the photo over to Hiyuri and saw the photograph passed from one's hands to another until it reached to *Kafūno Midori - A young boy with wisteria-purple short hair and black sunglasses - He also wore a sleeveless black shirt and camouflage blue jeans along with a light meadow-green jinbaori tied with a dark green datejime.

"Well, in case you didn't know, this 'harmless chick' is worth *500,000,000 ryō––?!"

"500,000,000 ryō?!"

"How many zeros are in a hundred?"

"Forget that! How many are in a million?!"

Questions shoots one after the other like a fountain as a hidden mysterious figure smiled softly inside the trees though he was left unaware of the fact that he's being watched carefully by Makkuro.

"Yeah and if y'all want to be set for life, then let's catch her before the client changes his mind."

"SIR!"

Makkuro said as the men shouted enthusiastically as he smirks a smile and walks back to his horse but not before seeing Midori remained seated as he continued looked at the picture, unaware of Makkuro donning mischievous smile as he stealthily goes behind Midori, creeping on him like a cat stalking its prey and hugged him from behind with a smile plastered on his face.

"Midori~~! It's time to go, squirt."

"Uwaa~"

Makkuro said sing-along fashion as Midori looks around and saw the men waiting patiently on their horses much to Midori's embarrassment as he accidentally tripped over his own feet, much to Makkuro's surprise.

"HUH? WHAT? EH?! OH––?! Sorry, I'll go and get ready–– Wah?!"

"'[Is this kid really a *Genin...?]' All right, let's move out!"

Makkuro and the other men thought incredulously at the little display as he made his way back to his horse respectively and signaled the men to move as they steadily made their way out of the forest.

"'[To presenting with such a fine price like 500,000,000 ryō for the capture of a simple little girl along with the promise of cleaned slates? Whoever this person is, he's certainly no amateur with it comes down to benefaction.]'"

Makkuro thought while the wagons creaked as the men urged their horses as he thinks back to what the client had said one night prior.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - In *Sekkagi-ya, *Yugakure – 3 days ago)~**

** ** _After years of reluctantly offering, Yugakure transitioned away from the Shinobi life and made itself as an tourist attraction, which was a good thing after the civil war back in *Kirigakure._**

 _Crickets chirped and droplets dripped as night descends after a brief downpour inside a tavern town before their maintenance lighting up the light posts one by one as shopkeepers began to greet tourists, customers and regulars alike with warmed kindness as laughter filled the air, symbolizing the ending of today by celebrating the beginning of the night._

 _"Here you are, a couple of rounds for table 1!"_

 _Shouted out an lightly-tanned young girl with light Caribbean-blue hair tied into a braid resting on her left shoulder and hazel-green eyes - She wore an casual white dress with the sleeves rolled up ¼ up towards her elbows followed by a sleeveless chestnut-brown jacket along with comfortable-fitted black flats._

 ** _Normally, because of the skills they've inherited, the survivors lived in fear but it had deteriorated rapidly ever since we proved our worth without relying our 'special traits'._**

 _"Ah *Meitō-chan, you forgot you apron!"_

 _While placing the plates and drinks onto a wooden tray, another voice called out as the young girl looked over to see a young woman, who is much closer to Makkuro's age with the same Caribbean-blue and hazel-green eyes - She wore a long-sleeved greyish-white shirt followed by a honey-brown tea-length skirt and black ankle boots while holding up a bluish-black waist-apron._

 _"Eh? Ah, sorry; *Akira-nēchan!"_

 _Meitō said as Akira walks over to her and ties it around the latter's waist while she lightly scolds Meitō for her carelessness as it causing the young girl to pout._

 _"Kya ha ha, your daughters have become quite a pair of beauties!"_

 _"Got that right, it's one of the reasons why Midori-kun here and I had fallen for them at first sight. Hey there *Master, how you all been doing?"_

 ** _But of course, not many people have heard of us... I mean, who would believe that a group of mercenaries is being lead by a 19-year-old kid?_**

 _Said a new voice as everyone's turned their directions over to the doorway to see Makkuro come in the establishment with his men as the three said people blushes a darker shade of red due to Makkuro's earlier claim._

 _"Oya oya, look what the wind blew in!"_

 _Hikaru said as he asked as Meitō guides them over to the counter while Hikaru prepare some beers for the men along with a glass of flavored liquid for Midori as Makkuro smiles before thinking about today's appointment with a representative of their benefactor but was caught off-guard by a soft chuckle coming from his right side to see a young man with short mahogany-red hair hidden within the hood of his cloak as his autumn-plum eyes came into view before greeting Makkuro._

 _"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mikazuki Makkuro, Leader of the Kurorōga."_

 _"*gasp* Wait, you're––?!"_

 _The mysterious man said as he surprises Makkuro with his intellect before he and the former were interrupted by an intoxicated Hiyuri as he leans over Makkuro, much to his displeasure._

 _"Whoa... I guess we really are famous enough to attract the attention of a *Bijo––?!"_

 _"Ok, Hiyuri-san, I think you have had one too many to drink, let's get you back to your room."_

 _Hiyuri looks over to the client as his vision becomes blurry due to having one too many glasses and mistakes the former for a woman until he was cut off by Midori pulling the young drunkard away as Makkuro sighed exasperatedly._

 _"I'm terribly sorry for my subordinates' rudeness. If you want, might we move this discussion somewhere else?"_

 _"But of course."_

 _Makkuro said as he politely request a change of scenery to the mysterious would-be client, in which the latter accepted as they moved their table up to the 2nd floor, continuing their discussion for the reminder of the night._

 _"Tell your employer that the Kurorōga will see to this task till the end..."_

 _"Well then, it appears that we come to an agreement."_

 _After reaching an agreement, Makkuro accepts the other man's offer as they concluded the negotiations and returned to their parties respectively for the remainder of the night._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback)~**

"'[But still, to offer us a large sum of 500,000,000 ryō just for the capture of one girl?]'"

Makkuro thought incredulously as he leads the caravan out of the forest and into a large clearing while taking a file out from his coat pocket as he looks through it before the sunlight shines upon its photo and reveals Sasha A.I Kanaka.

"'[... ... ...]' Alright boys, let's move out!"

Makkuro shouted as the men roared in response and the sound of hooves pounding into the ground while Midori urges his horse over towards a nearby wagon.

"Whoa now, easy boy, easy..."

He steadied his horse as he leans over to the cart and brought out a birdcage and unveiled the cage revealing a high-classed smoky-brown search hawk as it wakes up from its slumber, Midori slowly opened the cage door and called out.

"It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Midori said while giving the bird some space and walked out of the cage, Midori takes out a star-shaped bellflower-blue ocarina and plays a soothing melody to the hawk before its eyes take on a stern glint and prepares to take flight as the boy raised his arm into the air as the hawk's wings expands and flies into the air with the help of Midori's boost.

"Alright, take to the skies, *Takamaru!"

*Screech*

Midori said as Takamaru screeched and flies into the distance as Hiyuri lets out a lone whistle and urged his horse to move forward from the second row of the caravan and up to where Makkuro is.

"Eh heh, looks like Midori's all fired up... Yo, Mikazuki-Shuryō, got any ideas about where to find this girl?"

Hiyuri asked as Makkuro went silent as they entered an opened clearing filled with *susukigusa as Hiyuri continues to stare at his commander for a brief moment before Makkuro's eyes gained a professional glint.

"We'll make our way through the mountain pass and over to a nearby town... From there, Midori and I will investigate the girl's whereabouts while you and the men are to remain here, just in case they come by a different road."

"Is that so? Not to rain on your parade or anything but are you sure of bringing only Midori? I mean, just by looking at the girl's file alone is enough to convince me that she's not the *'D.I.D' type and I highly doubt that the boy can hold his own in a fight, should the girl resist––?!"

"Despite his demeanor, Midori's prowess in human/animal synchronization is, without a doubt, remarkable and can easily surpass the Inuzuka clan of Konohagakure, if he desires it..."

Makkuro explains his plan to Hiyuri in which the latter looks over to the former with an incredulous look as he doubts Midori's abilities while Makkuro reassures his right-hand man of Midori's strong points much to Hiyuri's surprise as the clouds starts to shift formation again.

* * *

 **~(In the meantime - Somewhere inside the 4th Dimensional Tunnel)~**

Around the same time as the Kurorōga, nearly an hour had passed yet it felt like minutes, Sasha looks over to the window and thinks about the silhouette earlier, unaware of Nurari's thoughts about what had transpired earlier.

"'[I mean, I almost never get to see apparitions before... OK, maybe I do on a regular basis but still that's gotta count for something, right?]'"

"'[I can't believe that NONE of them even NOTICED the change in direction yet...?!']'"

Oblivious of Nurari's remark, Sasha recalls the other times before reminding herself the times where she does experienced the said phenomenons as she closes her eyes and absentmindedly touches her necklace as the thought of silhouette retreats back into her mind.

"'[It's like this every time... The more I think about it, the more it slips away like smoke in the wind...]'"

Unable to find out the cause, Sasha gets out her cellphone and pressed the music icon as she scrolls down to find a desired song but before she can select, she was then stopped by Nurari's voice as a means of breaking the silence.

"Huh, it appears that there's something troubling you, eh? They did say that 'Truth will out'."

The driver asks in a convincing manner as Sasha gulped lightly before sighing in defeat, knowing that it was pointless to try to argue with him and told him about what she saw earlier back at Yōkai Gakuen.

"The other times where I experienced this sort of thing is when I'm danger..."

Sasha said as she remembers the times where she experience the said pain whenever she's in great peril before Nurari chuckled in nostalgia, causing Sasha to flushed angrily as the man smiling eerily and show the exact same glint in his eyes as the Headmaster did.

"It appears that you're in need of a changed perspective... Why not look for a romantic love affair of your own...? After all, what can possibly go wrong?"

**"'[This coming from the guy who brought a male human here to Yōkai Gakuen...]'"

Sasha thought deadpannedly, recalling last year when Nurari first brought Tsukune to Yōkai Gakuen as he chuckles eerily again and caused her to dismiss the sudden change in topic, diverting her attention to her smartphone and pressed the music icon before thinking back to the time where she first enrolled in Yōkai Gakuen, approximately 4 days after she 'awakened'.

* * *

 **~(Flashback – Somewhere in the inner courtyard of the Yōkai Institution)~**

 _The sound of waves had filled the air as a young Sasha had seated herself by the base of the courtyard's tree and reads a picture book as she turns to see a scene where a dragon was fighting with a knight in which had caused the girl to close the book as if she already knew the outcome._

 _** **After I was taken in by the Institution, I didn't get along with either one of my peers due to my powers and my appearance, causing almost every day became like a struggle to me...**_

 _"*sigh* I'm so bored... '[Same story, same outcome...]'"_

 _Sasha said as she sighed exasperatedly and sets the book aside and watch the unchanging *shūyō sinking into the distant of the hidden Ayashi-yo as the velvet-colored moon ascends into the night sky as she feels the moderate temperature caressing her hair like wind to an silk curtain before sensing an the atmosphere as the picture was soon replaced with an vintage-like book._

 _"I ought to give you something real nice..."_

 ** _If it wasn't for that guy's book, then I would never have picked up the interest of venturing out to the Human World empty-handed._**

 _It was a young man with light coffee-brown hair and light-blue eyes with the exception of an black cloth covering his right eye - He wore a navy-blue kimono-shirt followed by black jeans and shin-length boots – He smiles gently as Sasha remained silent as her bangs obscures her eyes slightly as the young man jumps down from his spot and lands near the young girl as she opens it to see many different pictures._

 _"When one graduates from adolescence and ascends into adulthood, they often find themselves ill-prepared for the harsh realities, occasionally hit a few bumps here and there but if you keep moving forward, without buckling, well then..."_

 _He said as he sits himself next to Sasha as he explains the workings of life outside of school and praises the unbending will of people to the young girl as her eyes, what was dimmed in color, was now colored with a sense of wonder._

 ** _And just like that, that little conversation had become the prime catalyst of my desire to enter the Human World and wanting the winds of coexistence to come altogether..._**

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback – Present Time)~**

"'Then there is nothing that you can't do, so long as you keep on pursuing what you love the most'..."

Sasha whispers softly as she smiles fondly at the memory unaware of Nurari's smile as if he was satisfied by her answer while noticing that the end of the tunnel is drawing near.

"Since I was a child, I've always wanted to know of what it was like to go beyond the 'borders' of my *'cage'."

 _*~Kakusenai hodo mabayui hikari seijaku yaburi kono yo ni yomigaeru~_

Sasha said as she closed her eyes and remembers of how much she dreamt of visiting the Human World as Nurari questions the girl's choice one more time.

"Hmph, are you sure that you're up for this? After all, the Human World is as VAST as the open sea..."

 _~Hageshiku yuragu kawaita daichi inochi o kakete hibana butsukeau~_

Hearing that, Sasha remained silent for a minute before she smiles her signature 'Cheshire' grin and gives out her response in fluent English.

"HA! You know what they say, 'YOU CAN'T MAKE AN OMELLETE WITHOUT BREAKING A FEW EGGS~!'"

 _~Mō ichido dake de ii kiseki okite yo kako ni nakushita kioku no PAGE wo torimodosu chikara wo~_

Seeing the determined look in the girl's eyes, Nurari smiled softly and pressed against the gas pedal as a means of revving up the speed as he cryptically asks the young nōshishoku-haired girl a question concerning the Great Barrier.

"Kanaka-kun, are you aware of the workings of this tunnel?"

"Course I do, it's the only thing that connects Yōkai Gakuen to the Human World and that it stretches all over the country..."

Sasha said as she recites the workings of the tunnel to Nurari unaware of his smile as he revved the engine up and recounted the girl's answer by revealing an hidden detail concerning the Great Barrier.

 _~Yami wo tsuranuku shinjiru kokoro tamashii nemuru basho sagashite mabataki dekinai surudoi gankou wo moyasu~_

"Correct but you only scratched the surface..."

"Is that right–– Wait, what?!"

Nurari said as he explains the half of the purpose of the barrier surrounding Yōkai Gakuen as the small light up ahead begins to grow larger and larger with each passing second.

 _~Hikari to kage no futatsu no kokoro CRYSTAL ni utsuru mirai e ima ugoki dasu~_

"Heh, I'll tell you more about later on but for now... It's goodbye to the Ayashi World and hello to the Human World..."

Nurari said as he decided to notify Sasha of the Devil's item's, the Rosary of Judgement, capabilities later as a small light comes into view as it grew larger as the speed increased.

 _~Akaku minagiru EYES~_

"All right, here we go."

Nurari said as the entrance comes into a close as everything was enveloped into white before Sasha reopens her eyes, gasped lightly as she sees the scenery that lies before her: A meadow-green plain consisted of wild *Himawari along with a soft meadow blanketed with wild *Bijozakura, *Sumire and *Kuchinashi flowers.

"*GASP*"

 _** **Back when I was growing up, I don't know who said it but a person once told me that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' but...**_

Nurari chuckled eerily as she sees what else lies beyond the meadow and felt the bus coming to a full stop as the ocean was seen at a great distance as the seagulls nesting and the waves crashes on the shore before Nurari chuckled as Sasha deboards the bus and walked out onto the ground as the wind caresses her cheeks as the wind resounds throughout the clearing.

"Oh my––?!"

"Heh heh heh... Sasha A.I Kanaka... On the behalf of Yōkai Gakuen, We welcomed you to the Human World..."

 _~Kasanari au EYES~_

With the summer wind sailing across the land, the Human World was everything that Sasha had thought–– No... It was everything that she had imagined all her life as the wind howled wildly as the susukigusa petals was carried off by the soaring wind.

 _ **...Little did I know that so-called 'absence' would soon become the catalyst of my dilemma...**_

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile over in the Kasagi village, Kyōto Prefecture)~**

Around the same time, the scenery soon changes as the summer wind sails across the land and carried the discarded leaves to the Imperial Capital as they reached their destination, the *Tōyō-jisho located near the outskirts of the Kasagi village as an announcement calls out from the end of the hallway and resounds throughout the garden.

※In local news, looks like there's going to be a 89% chance of windy weather for the remainder of the next 5 weeks...!※

Suddenly, the occupant began to stir from his slumber from the announcement – It was a young man with dark chocolate-brown medium-length hair left unkempt and a light sky-blue eye as his bangs obscures his right eye – He wore a navy-blue/white hakama underneath an black thigh-length *haori.

"Looks like we're in for some strong weather this year..."

He said as he sat up from the tatami floor and rubs the back of his head as he lets out a yawn, showing off his profound fangs as he surveys the scenery as the summer wind brushes his bangs briefly, revealing an black eyepatch covering his right eye as a young woman enters the room – She wore an mahogany-red *yukata followed by an dark red sash across her waist.

"Masamune, the tea's ready––?!"

Yuki said before she was cut off by the howling wind raging outside as the clouds makes their way over the prefecture and rumbled softly like a thundercloud as Masamune narrowed his eye, surveying the condition of the weather as the scene soon changed again to the very same cottage as before, as silence filled the air until it was cut off by the sound of knocking.

"Enter."

"How are you feeling today, *Masashi-sama?"

The recipient wasted no time in inviting the entrée, revealing a tall young man with pale golden eyes and short brown hair as his fringe obscures his left – He wore a black tank-top underneath a light-blue kimono-top with dark blue pants and black open-toed sandals – He enters the room as he sets as he sets a tray down on a table before he sees the recipient gazing out from the window.

"The wind..."

It was a young boy with dark chocolate-brown neck-length hair and light-blue eyes - He wore a crystal-blue kimono-shirt tied with an vermilion-red sash followed by tea-length black pants and matching shin-length boots - He looks up to the sky and sees the wind rustling in the trees, frowning lightly.

"... Is picking up..."

The scene soon changes back to Masayuki, Kojūrō and Masamune as all three donned the very same outfit as the mysterious figure from moments earlier as he stands victorious once he rendered his pursuers incapacitated and looks up to the sky with a determined expression as they answered altogether.

"The STORM is about to begin."

* * *

Authoress: So how did you all like it so far? Tuned in next week's 3rd chapter!

All comments and criticisms are opened!


	3. III

Authoress: **ALRIGHT**! **IT** ' **S** **NOW THE THIRD CHAPTER**! I want to thank Yimba and Huggiebird from D.A for letting me to add them to the story, now onward with the show.

Like before:

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **bold/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

And again, I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here except for the ones that have this symbol (*). The ones that have this symbol (**) are the ones that my pals from D.A and I have created.

P.S., there's going to be a very SPECIAL guest star near the end of the chapter, so look forward to it!

* * *

 **Chapter III: 3** **rd** **Step into** **Remembering the Past Days and Indulging into** **the Thrill of the Hunt**

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile over in a forest within the** _*_ **Oto no Kuni)~**

The summer breeze washes over the land as silence had filled the air before it was broken by the glass clinking and wood grinding as it reveals a young man with ash-gray hair worn in a ponytail and onyx-black eyes behind a pair of black-rimmed circular glasses - He wore a dark purple high-collared shirt followed by matching pants along with blue open-toed blue sandals.

"So far so good, the medicine is coming along quite nice..."

He whispers as he works on a concoction that can lower the percentage of protein as he pours it into a vial filled with another substance and swishes it around until it became light in color and writes the observation down before taking notice that a few containers were nearly empty.

"'[I'm running low on some of the ingredients. Hmm, the closest shop is about 15 minutes away by foot but then again...]' Looks like I have to go to *Umiyuri in the *Yu no Kuni."

He said after examining the herbs' origins and pondered on what to do before coming to the conclusion of going over to the Yugakure's neighboring town as he walks out of the room unaware of a snake-like shadow appearing from the shadows as it slithers into nothingness.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile...)~**

Around the same time, the sun blares lightly as the summer breeze as Sasha and the others arrived from the 4th Dimensional Tunnel while Sasha walked over to the edge and saw the ocean from across the way and gave out a cry.

"Oh, FANTASTIC! I'm finally here in the Human World––?!"

"What're you so happy about? Getting all worked up over something like this though... Seeing you this happy is quite disturbing..."

Sasha said as she takes in the sight before her until she was interrupted by Kokoa's indifference as it ruins Sasha's mood in an instant as everyone deboards the bus one at a time.

"And this coming from the girl who chased Moka over to Kyōto then became the leader of the street gang, 'Monster Industries', and challenged Moka again only to be defeated by 'Inner Moka' due to you being 'distracted' by her immense strength?"

Sasha said deadpannedly as she remembers hearing about Kokoa's antics from Moka with the intent of seeing the latter's split personality sometime after the school entrance ceremony and how persistent she was when it involves of getting what she wants, so much in fact that Kokoa would go through rain and shine while reminding her recent attempt during the class school trip to Kyōto and how she was immediately defeated afterwards, much to the 1st year's chagrin.

"How did you––?! D'oh, no wonder you're considered as a *Miseiseijū by the other girls––?!"

"Who're are you callin' girl so unrefined that she can't get herself a boyfriend due to her scaring the crap out of the other boys because of her brute strength?!"

"NOBODY SAID THAT~!"

Kokoa immediately retaliated by voicing out another forbidden word that no one would dare to utter while Sasha angrily retorted without noticing a car pulling up from the opposite direction as one of its passengers lets out a familiar cry that Sasha immediately recognizes.

"Girls, girls; c'mon break it up already. Sheesh, it's only been a few seconds and you're already at each other's throats?"

The first on the scene is *Kagenashi Masaki - An 18-year-old healthy-tanned young man with long dark garnet-red hair tied into a ponytail and cosmos-blue eyes - He wore a sea-blue sleeveless hoodie-like shirt followed by a rondo-purple bracer on his right arm along with oak-brown pants and calf-length dark auburn boots.

"Well what'd you expect, Masaki?"

The one next to Masaki walked up and voice out the latter's answer is *Mizukiri Ritsuku - A 17-year-old light-skinned young man with rosy-red hair and blood-red eyes - He wore a slim-fitted black sleeved U-shirt with an sleeveless burgundy-red jean vest followed by navy-blue jeans and grayish-black sneakers.

"[I got this - It'll only be a sec...]"

Ritsuku felt a pat on his shoulder and glanced over to *Amano Hijiri - A 18-year-old fair-skinned young man with dark brown hair and amethyst-purple eyes - He wore a dark cardinal-red tanktop underneath a dark purple short-sleeved shirt slightly unbuttoned followed by bluish-black slimmed jeans and brown laced-boots.

"Gambatte ne, *Hittan!"

Ritsuku and Masaki said in union as Hijiri throws in a thumbs up as he descends into the fierce fray without fearing the wrath of retaliation, the young boy walks over to the bickering girls and breaks up the fight - A feat that was deemed impossible yet dangerous by Tsukune and the other club members as the other party deboards the car and reveals two more chaperones.

"Otonashi-nēsan, it's so good to see you again~!"

Sasha said as she spots an old classmate/resident of the Institution, Otonashi San – A young girl with blue eyes and collar-length dark blue hair that is tied back with a polka-dot ribbon followed by a long-sleeved knee-length polka-dot dress with a dark ribbon on her chest along with a notepad and a pen in hand – As both girls hugged each other after two years of separation, Sasha was then greeted by San's employer.

"And you must be Kawamoto Marin. Otonashi-nēsan has told me so much about you back when she settled down after getting a job."

Sasha said as she shakes hands with Kawamoto Marin – A young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and two clips attached to her bangs parted on the right side - She wore a spaghetti-strapped heart-shaped white shirt with ruffled folds at the hem along with blue shin-length jeans and low-heeled shoes.

"Minna-san~! May I have your attention please, nya~"

After exchanging pleasantries, Nekonome-sensei regains everyone's attention and gathers them around as she proceeds laying out the rules and guidelines.

* * *

 **~(20 Minutes Later)~**

From the time she was a child, Sasha remembers that Ayashi cannot interfere in the affairs of the Human World otherwise they'll run the risk of expulsion and incarceration while placing her necklace inside her shirt and placed her mirror inside her right pocket as she resumes listening to Nekonome-sensei.

"OK, once your name is called, you are to stick to the group that you have been assigned to ergo that there are no switching nor trading spots!"

Nekonome-sensei shouted as she points out Rubi holding a clipboard that has the list while ignoring the complaints and protests as the result was made:

Group 1: Aono Tsukune, Akashiya Moka, Kurono Kurumu, *Amatsuki Tatsuki (absent)

Group 2: Sendō Yukari, Shirayuki Mizore, Shuzen Kokoa, *In'getsu Yūki (absent)

Group 3: Sasha A.I Kanaka, Huáng Fāng-Fāng, *Akagusa Yūgure (absent), *Nakamura Shizuku (absent)

Group 4: Kagenashi Masaki, Mizukiri Ritsuku, Amano Hijiri, **Kuruizaki Riōna (has yet to arrive), *Izayoi (absent)

Group 5: Morioka Gin'ei (absent), **Yabi Yim (has yet to arrive), **Kokuyo Inuya (has yet to arrive), *Reikū (absent)

"Oh dear, looks like we're 9 people short..."

"... ... ... …"

Shizuka said as she counted that 9 people were absent either due to summer school and to hospitalization unaware of Sasha's crestfallen gaze to the ground while Rubi walked over to the club advisor and proposed another alternative.

"Oh! Nekonome-san, I have an idea, how about we try this way."

* * *

 **~(Moments later)~**

Shortly thereafter, Nekonome-sensei, along with Rubi's help, had managed to make a new group list temporarily until the 9 people have finished up their make-up exams.

Group 1: Aono Tsukune, Akashiya Moka, Kurono Kurumu

Group 2: Mizukiri Ritsuku, Kagenashi Masaki, Amano Hijiri

Group 3: Sendō Yukari, Shirayuki Mizore, Shuzen Kokoa

Group 4: Tōjō Rubi (Temporarily), Sasha A.I Kanaka, Huáng Fāng-Fāng

"Now, I have to go back to the campus for a meeting and then pick up the students who have the make-up exams. Once I get back, I want you all to meet up at the *Kawamoto-ya at 3:30 pm, so until then; Kawamoto-san, Otonashi-kun and Rubi are in charge for the time being."

Nekonome said as she remembers of how she was to back to the campus for a meeting after dropping off the students as she reboards the bus again but not before placing Rubi in charge during the latter's absence as the bus drives back to the tunnel as a heavy sigh was heard and caused it to divert everyone's attention to Sasha of whom is plagued by a ominous cloud of gloominess.

"If I had known that Tatsuki, Yūgure, Shizuku and Gin were going to have re-takes then I would've tutored them myself, not to mention that it'll take Riōna and Yim 2½ days to go from Hokkaido University to the campus by airplane, train and bus. Not only that, Reikū and Izayoi are hospitalized due to overexertion and also, Inu-chan is..."

Sasha said as she remembers the paled looks on her classmates' faces as all 4 have 50 points below on the midterms so much that their papers were all dyed red and remembered how she received a notice from her friends as well as a call from the hospital concerning two certain young individuals' health due to overexertion.

"Th-that's okay, Kanaka-san; they've all tried their best to ace it! It certainly wasn't your fault or anything, right guys?"

Tsukune stammered a bit as he looks over to the others for backup only to received unconvinced murmurs causing Sasha to be in more despair as the ominous cloud grew larger.

"B-but don't worry! I heard that Maki-sensei is in charge of the exams this year, so what can possibly go wrong?"

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile...)~**

"PLEASE WAIT FOR ME, MY 17-YEAR PASSIONATE SUMMER! I'll BE THERE IN A SEC!"

Cried Amatsuki Tatsuki – A young boy with short red-violet hair tied back by a bandanna as he wore the male Yōkai Gakuen uniform as he writes diligently along with his friends and fellow classmates in tow.

"Ah it's no use, we'll never make it! We're finished!"

Whimpered one of the boys as he and the others were struggling to survive summer school sessions while another one retorted angrily in annoyance.

"If you dolts have time to whine, then focus on your papers dammit––?!"

"YOU TRY SOLVING A PROBLEM THAT INVOLVES FRACTIONS!"

Meanwhile outside the classroom, leaning against the classroom wall was a young girl with icy-white short hair and hazel-brown eyes – She wore a white shirt with a sleeveless sweatshirt along with blue jeans followed by light blue tennis shoes.

"Seriously, if they had paid more attention in class, neither one would be in this situation in the first place."

She sighed irritably and chastised her fellow classmates for not paying attention to their classwork as blood-curling screams were heard from the room.

* * *

 **~(In the Meantime over at the Hokkaido Airport...)~**

"Yim~ Couldn't we have just take the train? It's much more faster, less time-consuming and also not to mention; it's on GROUND level."

Asks Kuruizaki Riōna - A young girl with dark blond hair with starlight-sliver streaks and ocean-blue eyes - She wore a mahogany-red shirt followed by blue jeans along with black shoes – Tries to persuade her friend as she trembles at to the fact that they're about to meet up with their classmates over at the Tokyo Airport after completing Hokkaido University's 129th Annual *Kyūdō Tournament.

"Oh, for the love of... Riō-chan, I told you a 1,000 times, the local ferries can't get pass the currents due to the storm so the airplane is our only option."

Said Yabi Yim - A young girl with short-length light sky-blue hair and ruby-red eyes - She wore a light brown sleeved shirt with form-fitting black jeans along with matching shoes – As she reassures her friend for the umpteenth time.

"And I told you a 1,000 times that I don't do so well with heights except for the ones that I'm comfortable with."

"Which is why I said it was a bad idea to take up Sempai's offer of substituting his teammates..."

Riō said as she reminds Yim countless times of her acrophobia while the latter herself retorted about not taking up an upperclassman's offer of substitution as they entered the plane and prepare themselves for their departure.

"Plus, we have to find another source of transportation once we graduate and this is a great way to help cure you of your acrophobia, Riō-chan; besides, airplanes accidents/mishaps only happen in the movies, so what could possibly go wrong––?!"

"[Attention all passengers, welcome aboard on Flight JL6181 for *Naha, Okinawa. I repeat, welcome aboard on Flight JL6181 for Naha, Okinawa––?!]"

"Wait... WHAT?!"

But before Yim can reassure Riōna, the P.A suddenly announces that they will be arriving for Naha Airport in Okinawa instead of Tokyo Airport in Narita, much to the girls' shock.

* * *

 **~(Present Time)~**

"Perhaps you're right about Aono-kun, I mean, Yūki's there to pick them up, so I'm not worried."

Sasha said as the others laughs at the embarrassment and started to gather their luggage respectively while Sasha looks up to the sky and saw a bird flying as its cry is heard causing her to smile happily as she breaks into a sprint, running up ahead of everyone else as a bright smile dons her visage.

"C'mon Shuzen, I'll race ya, first one to the finish line gets *¥500!"

"Oh ho ho, you're so on, Kanaka!"

Sasha said as Kokoa exclaims in surprise but unbeknownst to Sasha, the 'bird' happens to be the very same one that Kafūno Midori had sent as it lets out a cry and circled around, flying back to its master.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile...)~**

While taking a safe route through a forest as wild vines hangs from the trees as if they were banners of an extravagant ball, the men avoided them while Midori avoids the vines with ease unconsciously as he became lost in his thoughts and his dark sunglasses slips downwards a bit.

"–ri... –dori... MIDORI, WATCH OUT!"

Suddenly brought back into reality, Midori was thrown off his horse and onto his backside by a branch as it catches him off-guard while Makkuro jumps off his horse and rushes over to Midori in a sprint.

"Oi Midori! You alright? Guys, let's take a 5 minute break to water the horses."

Makkuro asks as he tells the men to rehydrate the horses for 5 minutes while Midori takes the opportunity to refill his bamboo watercan and set his thought straight, unaware that Makkuro narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he sees Midori's retreating figure.

* * *

 **~(2 minutes later)~**

Around the same time, Midori soon enters into a clearing with a fresh waterhole and remained silent before sighing as he submerges his bottle into the water.

"So, mind telling me what's going on?"

Hearing Makkuro's voice as he sits on a log supported by boulders, Midori looks over to him and droops downward as the bubbles receding slowly.

"Shuryō... About the assignment, I was wondering if I could handle this alone."

Midori asks as Makkuro's eyes widened in surprise, he stiffs a laugh as he fell over the log while holding his stomach with both arms.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha~! To think that you, of all people, would go and do something so daring as THIS! The Master's ain't gonna like the fact that you're cheating on Meitō-chan for a pretty Shōnenrashījo!"

Makkuro said as he gasps between breaths as he gets up from the ground as he sees a tinge of pink coloring Midori's cheeks and his ears flushed in embarrassment.

"N-no no no no! You've got it all wrong, Shuryō! I-I-I'm just trying to have a conversation with the girl, that's all!"

Midori protested defensively as Makkuro recovers and regains his composure after having a drink, Makkuro sat besides Midori as things gotten quiet again.

"OK, I think it's time to come clean with me, Midori. Ever since you saw that photo, you've been acting weird... Well, more than usual."

Makkuro said as Midori flinched in surprise as the latter faced down to the water as the former decided to go with a different approach due to his question hitting right on the mark.

"So mind telling me what's really gotten into you?

Makkuro said as Midori continues to look at the water and whispers inaudibly as Makkuro sees the former's hand reached for his sunglasses unexpectedly.

"Her eyes... They're the same as mine."

Midori said as he reveals a pair of deep navy-blue eyes with a scar running down his right as his reflection stares back at him while remembering how his life was like 6 years prior to the young boy's recruitment.

* * *

 **~(Flashback – 6 years ago)~**

 _In a quiet clearing located somewhere in *Tanigakure, two figures emerged from the forest path – It was a young woman with wisteria-purple waist-length hair as her fringe obscures her hazel-green eyes – She wore a wisteria-pink kimono-shirt tied with a matching sash followed by a wisteria-blue skirt along with low-heeled strapped sandals._

 _"*Sate sate, what shall we make today?"_

 _The woman pondered aloud as she turns her gaze over to a young boy with the matching hair as his bangs covers his eyes as he sits on top of a small rock drawing a picture before finishing it up as he held up to the woman as his fringe revealed a familiar eye color._

 _** **According to my mother, we're the last descendants of a clan that specializes in song-based *Ninpō but during the 3rd War,** **it gradually dwindled until there was no one left except for my mother, who was pregnant with me.**_

 _"Mama, look what I made!"_

 _"Oh my, how lovely!"_

 _It was revealed to be a 5-year-old Midori – He wore a wisteria-blue kimono-style vest tied with a wisteria-purple sash across his waist followed by a pair of midnight-blue shorts with matching open-toed sandals – As he shows his mother a rough draft of a star-shaped ocarina he drew, in which the latter's eyes lit up with surprise before showered her son with praise as she approved of his design._

 _**For as long I could remember,** **we** **traveled from one place to another as we made our living in creating specialized ninja tools, such as ocarinas and whistles, for *Genjutsu and *Ninken Specialists...**_

 _"So then, shall we breathe life into this fine art?"_

 _"Uh-huh!"_

 _She asks in a motherly tone to which Midori replied happily as they began their search for a good material for Midori's ocarina._

* * *

 **~(Several Months Later –** _*_ **Kūgemaru Village)~**

 _Several months later, at some point after his 7_ _th_ _birthday, Midori soon engulfed himself in his family's *Hiden and studied Genjutsu as well as the standard basics of Ninpō through the tutelage of his mother and later gain full mastery of *Ninjutsu, such as *Kuchiyose no Jutsu and *Iryō Ninjutsu, at the youngest age of 9._

 **_As time went by, I developed a interest in the Shinobi arts and taught myself but by doing that, not only did it attract the attention of the townspeople but..._**

 _"Ninpō: Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

 _Midori shouted as he weaved hand signs required for the technique and slams his hand against the ground as black inscriptions emerges forth as he was engulfed in smoke as it reveals a pair of young white tigers and growled softly as they look upon their summoner before circling around his legs and purred in delight as the supervising adults gasped in awe before clapping their hands in wonder while the children looked on the scene with contempt._

 ** _It also led me to be the prime target of harassment by my peers._**

* * *

 **~(Several weeks later)~**

 _"Look everyone, it's *'Kimyōme no Midori'!"_

 _**'Kimyōme no Midori', that's been my nickname ever since I was a kid... Not that I blame them or anything but it actually suited me real well.**_

 _Ever since he begun his training as a Ninja, the local children would often ganged up on Midori and bombard him with taunts regarding to his eye color in which the latter found it quite ironic._

 _**The Shinobi considered the human emotion as 'something unnecessary' and are required to set them aside so I decided to ignore the name-calling, the insults and the taunts but...**_

 _"Kafūno-kun, LOOK OUT!"_

 _Someone shouted out to Midori as one of the kids deflected a kunai as it soared above the air before zeroing in on Midori as it sliced downward on his right eye and caused a hell of an uproar._

 _"Oh my God, MIDORI-KUN!"_

 _"Someone, call the doctor!"_

 _**...Needless to say, it wasn't a good idea at the time.**_

 _"Thankfully, the cut wasn't too deep but..."_

 _Shortly thereafter, the doctors said that it was a miracle that the knife didn't do direct damage his eyeball, but it did however, left a scar over his eye._

* * *

 **~(One week later...)~**

 _"Kafūno-kun... I'm so sorry, your mother... She's––?!"_

 _"To think that she was battling an incurable illness after all this time..."_

 _**Two months later, after losing his mother to an unknown illness, Midori started on a journey for independence... Which didn't started out so well as he had hoped._

 ** _Despite that, not ONCE have I regretted of ever leaving home..._**

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback)~**

After reminiscing about the past, both Makkuro and Midori stayed silent for a little while before Makkuro sighed as he broke the silence and ran his fingers in his hair.

"So you're surprised to see that there's another person that shares this rare eye colour. Well, if that's the case, then you could've just said something..."

Makkuro said as Midori lowers his head in distress only to hear a chuckle from Makkuro as he pats Midori on the back as he gets up from the ground.

"Alright, normally I don't play favorites but this is you we're talking about, I'll let it slide for now."

"Really?! Oh thanks, Shuryō!"

Makkuro said as Midori looks at him in shock but then displays a wide smile and thanks Makkuro as he smiled gently while he ruffles Midori's hair affectionately.

"But if all else fails and she resists, then you're *S.O.L, kiddo!"

"Like I said, you've got it all wrong, Shuryō!"

Makkuro said as Midori blushed in embarrassment as they head on back when the hawk flew right onto Midori's forearm as he places his finger gently between the eyes and looked into its thoughts.

"So, what is it do you see, Midori?"

Midori's eyes opened softly as he thanks the hawk, his eyes turns from sober soft to stern steel as he reports the status to Makkuro.

"We found the girl and I know where she's heading..."

"Alright then, lead the way, Midori."

Midori said as Makkuro rounds up the men as they resumed their way out of the pass and into a clearing, unaware that they were being watched over by a shadowed figure as he surveyed everything that had transpired inside a basin filled with water before the scene goes back to where Sasha and her classmates are.

"Judging the time that the Kurorōga will arrive, should be around midday tomorrow... *Kūkyo, tell the others to pack up to last about 30 days."

The figure said as he calls out to a caramel-coloured *Kudagitsune from the ceiling and hands a small note to it before he senses another presence coming from the shadows.

"*Hisaki, are we really going to go with the plan––?!"

"For the umpteenth time, *Raikaryū, if we're going to pull this off, we're going to need all the manpower we can get, even if it means using the girl as a pawn..."

"I don't know if you know this but curiosity has killed the cat more than once."

"But satisfaction brought it back... If I indulge myself into this 'experiment' any further, I'll run the risk of feeling that girl's wrath later on."

The mysterious man asks uncertainly before he was cut off by his friend's reassurance until the former retorted by informing an old saying while the latter remarked with another saying.

"Is rattling the cat really worth feeling satisfied afterwards...?"

"Honestly, who knows..."

Raikaryū asked before Hisaki replied aloofly as the scene dissipates like water and changes into a new one.

* * *

 **~(Elsewhere, in Tokyo Station)~**

Withing the bustling station, a myriad of voices overlapped each other until soft footsteps entered the mix as: It was a young girl with silver-white/strawberry-red highlighted hair and honey-gold eyes - She wore a red kimono top followed by a matching skirt along with white stockings and grey low-heeled shoes – Looking up to the sky, a question suddenly enters her mind.

"Okay then, where the Heck am I?"

The sun blares down as the wind howled and the clouds darkened the capital city as she pondered a little before the answer had donned upon her: She boarded the wrong train.

* * *

Authoress: Woo-hoo! Finally, 3rd chapter's over and finished! It did took me a while though...

The small introduction of the OCs and the explanation of Midori-kun's past but I finally managed it! Tuned in for the next chapter!

P.S., All comments and criticisms are welcome.


	4. IV

Authoress: Huzzah, It's finally the 4th chapter! It's gonna be big (literally speaking) with the appearance of our guest co-stars and a little info on Sasha's past!

P.S., here's a little info about the chapter's new character!

Sasaki Kanada (カナダ 笹木 Kanada Sasaki)

Monstricity: (Secret...)

Gender: Male

Occupation: Yōkai Gakuen Senior High Student (2nd year)

Biography: Little is known about Kanada except he has known Kanaka Sasha since infancy during their brief time in Shinrinmura and the remainder of their years at Yōkai Gakuen.

More will come during the next chapter and wanna take a guess of Kanada's Monstricity?

And P.S., I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here except for the ones that have this symbol (*). The ones that have this symbol (**) are the ones that my pals from D.A and I have created.

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **bold/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

* * *

 **Chapter** **IV** **: 4** **th** **Step into Remembering the Bittersweetness of One's Actions** **and Taking up** **the** **Declaration of Discord**

* * *

 **~(In the meantime over at Yōkai Gakuen Gymnasium - Swimming Club Pool Site)~**

Around the same time as the Newspaper Club, the campus grew silent as the students have made their way to the bus stop as a means of returning to their homes for the remainder of the summer as the sun blares upon a pool site where the sound of water splashing was heard.

 _*Splash*_

It was the Swimming Club President, Ichinose Tamao as she swims at an incredible rate before hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the exit as she pauses a little and sees a hooded young man donning the Yōkai Gakuen standard uniform.

"Oya, is there something that I can help you with sir?"

"Why yes, I believe that there is something that you can help me with."

Tamao asks flirtatiously unaware of the latter's sinister smile donning his features as he answers the young 3rd year's question.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile around the same time in *Umiyuri-gai)~**

The sun gently blares down onto the little seaside town as its shops and restaurants were filled with laughter, joy and merrymaking as the Newspaper browses through the windows of souvenirs and merchandise coming from foreign lands.

"Oh wow~ This place is off the charts!"

Sasha said as they all entered the town while the people comes and goes into the shops and onto the streets as the scent of grilled food mixed with the scent of the ocean fills the air, shopkeepers showing mannequins wearing western and traditional fashion from many countries, the instinctive conversations between clerks and customers overlapping one after the other like how light overlaps a scenery.

"*Umiyuri-gai... Known as the 'Ocean Lily Quarters', renowned for its clear blue bay and its rare ocean-colored lilies... If you think about it, it's the ULTIMATE Paradise."

"Now that I think of it, you do have a point, Kanaka-san––? Kanaka-san, where is she?"

"Where do you think?"

Sasha said as she reviews the brochure while Tsukune strengthens her opinion only to find a empty space between him and Kokoa while the latter remarked sarcastically as she points over at the opposite direction as it revealed an excited Sasha taking photos and checking out the stalls, mainly food stands.

"Uwaa~ '[Now I know why Nekonome-sensei likes the fish in the Human World, the scent that they give off when cooking is the BEST!]'"

Eying at a variety of seafood being chilled by ice as the first batch was cooking as the water evaporating and sizzled, Sasha smiled as she started to drool a bit and remembers of how Nekonome-sensei used to tell her that the fish freshly caught by Humans and cooked by them are top-quality.

"Uh Miss? That batch is raw..."

"'[How embarrassing!]' Uh, may I have both a *Takoyaki and *Yakisoba please? Oh, and where can I find the best attraction site of Umiyuri?"

The cook said as he and the customers stared at her blankly while Sasha's face flushed a beet-red colour and laughed sheepishly before asking another question.

"So you want to know Umiyuri's best attractions huh?"

Said the young assistant manager now known *Kaname Rūto - A young man with strawberry-blond spiky-flat hair and ocean-green eyes - He wore a ocean-blue/navy-blue *happi coat followed by white bandage obi wrapped around his abdomen and black form-fitting pants along with straw sandals.

"Yep!"

Sasha answered as Rūto laughs heartily as he stretches out his hand and points out a small building just little ways before the cliff-side as Sasha follows his gaze to the *Kyoto-esque shrine with little effort as its mahogany-red *ranma-shōji parted slightly as the transparent smoke of incense swirls around the small building.

"By shrine, do you mean the port's famous *Reiyaka-ji, the 'Zero Night Temple'?"

"Yep. Now legend has it that..."

Sasha asks curiously as Rūto affirms her claim and explains the town's legend concerning the *'Jisei-rei no Shōjo': A Yōkai woman that possess a power called the *'Shurui Kōtai' which caused Sasha's ears perked up a little as she hears about the legendary woman's abilities.

"Is that so?"

Sasha asked as Rūto nodded understandingly unaware of the 'lost-in-thought' look that Sasha is giving off.

"Oh yes, legend has it that her transformations were so flawless and accurate that it was difficult to distinguish her from the artificial to the genuine article."

"Some say that she was a *Doppelgänger or a *Kyūketsukijo."

Along with the comments of Rūto's coworkers, Sasha raised her brow in amusement about the Rūto's information as the former laughs heartily as he gives the young girl the directions to the said shrine.

"Just go straight down this district, then down to *Takemuratōge and take a right up to *Yurika's Peak, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Umiyuri, Miss!"

Rūto said kindly to Sasha as she thanks him for the directions before she goes the other way and meet up with her classmates while Rūto smiled as he looked over to his watch and saw the time '1:50 pm' as he retreats further into the stand and asked for a break from his manager.

"Hey Boss, it's nearly time to got with the preparations so is it okay if I take my break?"

"Huh? Oh yeah sure thing! Go right ahead!"

The man said as he readied a check along with a bonus for Rūto while his fellow employees looked over to Rūto curiously before looking over to the retreating form of the girl earlier.

Foreign girl + Rūto + Early Break Time = FORBIDDEN/UNREQUITED LOVE

Realizing the conclusion, the co-workers dons sly smirks and dragged out a sigh much to Rūto's dismay.

"[Rūto-kun's smitten by that little lass?]"

"[No way, that girl looks about 15-16, I'd wager.]"

They asked in a not-so-secret manner unaware of Rūto's temper thinning much like one is treading upon a thin ice until finally... **THWACK**!

"There are three things that goes against my principles: 1.) Keep personal and professional affairs separate 2.) Be considerate of whom you date and 3.) DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT GO FOR WOMEN WHO ARE 4 YEARS YOUR JUNIOR."

Rūto said as steam rises out of the heads of his fellow workers and announced his morals before smiling a nostalgic smile.

"Besides which, the girl just happens to remind me of two beauties I once encountered long ago..."

Rūto said as his eyes bear a gentle glint as he prepares to leave for the day.

"[I knew it, he was dumped]"

"[No way, I'd say that he was ditched]"

But not before catching the comments of his co-workers in which earned themselves a eerie glance from the latter as they thought about their opinions silently.

"What was that?"

"Ah nothing... '[Yep, he was definitely DITCHED.]'"

* * *

 **~(Somewhere in Umiyuri Downtown/Uptown District)~**

After rejoining her group, Sasha wasted no time to tell them about the story of the 'Jisei-rei no Shōjo' and explained that the Shōjo had fallen in love with a mortal man but was torn by notion that love between a Human and a Yōkai was forbidden.

"It sounds like something out of a fairy tale, much like Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', –desu~!"

Yukari likens the story to an old classic as Sasha continues on how she died of a broken heart and in honor of her memory, the mortal lover had build a shrine dedicated to those who are also torn by convictions similar to the Shōjo's.

"I know right? And that's not all, word has it that it'll–– Hm?"

"'[CHANCE!]'"

"Tsukune~~!"

With that said and done, both Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore were all shocked and had a ominous glint in their eyes as they each formed a plan of their own as Tsukune is flushed with cold chills as a result.

"'[As much as I feel sorry for Aono, I'm just glad that I didn't fall for him, otherwise I would have to deal with THAT 24/7...]'"

Sasha thought about how everything would've turned out if she falls head-over-heels for Tsukune and how delighted she was for not doing so due to the constant interference of Kurumu and the others.

"Sasha-chan, you're really an expert when it comes to old folklore."

Moka said as Sasha blushed at the compliment and starts to fidget slightly while Tsukune was drowning by the others' enthusiasm.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'expert' or anything... Besides, the Shōjo's situation sounds almost like mine if you think about it."

Sasha said modestly while looking down to the ground and whispered about how similar she and the Shōjo's situation were in terms of abilities before Moka looking over to the nōshishoku-haired girl's forlorn expression and asked the troubled girl.

"Sasha-chan, what's wrong?"

Caught off-guard by Moka's voice, Sasha's expression changed back to her fun-loving cheeriness quickly as she takes advantage of the situation.

"Uh you know what, Moka-san; I'm going on ahead! I'll see you guys over at the *Kaifū-ya!"

Sasha said as she runs ahead of the others unaware that Masaki was looking over to the girls as he sees Sasha's retreating figure disappear into the crowd.

* * *

 **~(Moments later)~**

After breaking away from the group, Sasha stopped herself in her tracks and slowly walked as she thought about her decision of telling the truth about herself.

"'[I wonder if I should tell the others now...?]'"

Sasha became lost in her thoughts until she remembers the times where she earns looks of fear, disdain and resentment from her peers whenever she transforms as the young girl snaps out of it as tears begins to welled up in her eyes.

"'[No... Even if I did tell them the truth, what's there to guarantee that they'll accept me right off the bat?]'"

Sasha thought as tears streams down her cheeks as it stains the dirt with droplets of water like paper, Sasha tries to wipe away her tears but was presented with folded handkerchief being offered by an unknown hand.

"Are you alright, miss?"

Suddenly, Sasha instantly recognized the voice as she looks up to its owner - It was a young man with shoulder-length midnight-blue hair and byzantium-purple eyes as his bangs were slicked back as a few strands sticks out - He wore a blue singlet with a short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned along with black wristbands followed by jeans and a pair of blue tennis shoes.

"I guess 3 years of separation can really change people, huh, Ayashi-rei no Musume?"

"Perhaps, but I believe that there are some things that can't be changed no matter what... It's great to see you again, *Sasaki Kanada."

He said as Sasha smiles a little and dries her eyes with the handkerchief as she ideologically replied back as Kanada smirked lightly before he returned the gesture.

"It's great to see you again too."

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having the *Jūni-shi's notorious 'Kogarashi no Ōji, Sasaki Kanada here in this quiet seaside town?"

"And I guess it's also safe to say that your sassy comedic hasn't diminished over the years but first things first, how you've been over the recent years?"

Sasha asked as she teases Kanada by calling his nickname as the latter playfully retorts about her being one of the most sassiest people he knows as they both made their way over to a secluded area so that they can catch up for old times' sake.

* * *

 **~(Minutes later, in *Kaiō-en...)~**

After finding a wooden bench nearby, Kanada seated himself in a comfortable manner and motioned Sasha to take a seat next to him.

"Well, to start off in celebrating our 10-year reunion, I got you your favorite - Yakisoba with Teriyaki sauce."

Sasha said as she hands over while Kanada smiled softly as he accepts the untouched delicacy.

"'Tis a gift that I was blessed with and thanks for remembering, kiddo. Now then, *Itadakimasu~~~!"

Kanada said as he slurps up the noodles as Sasha moves on to the 'added bonus' Ikayaki that the stall manager had given her.

"So, what gives?"

Kanada asked as Sasha raises a brow to his question, she stops eating momentarily as specks of squid sticks to the corner of her lips while prompting him to wipe off the crumbs with his thumb.

"On that day, you took upon yourself of making yourself in becoming the Headmaster's *'Aiganchō'––?!"

"By making myself as the scapegoat and forfeiting my chance from EVER entering the Human World until graduation..."

Kanada said as he remembers Sasha forfeiting her chance of stepping outside campus grounds much to the protests of the former and Masaki as the sound of cicadas chirped loudly as the heat raises in temperature while the wind begins to pick up.

* * *

 **~(Yōkai Gakuen Home Economic Room – 5 years ago)~**

 _** **Nearly 8 months** **has passed ever since I was taken in by the Institution, I made new friends and got acquainted with so many new people.**_

 _Time passes by like the changing seasons as a *young man with sky-blue_ _shoulder-length hair as his long bangs obscured his glacier-blue eyes - He wore an blackish-blue gakuran standard uniform with the collar slightly unbuttoned – Walking down the hall until they've reached an unused classroom with boxes of baking supplies occupying their arms, the boy sets down the box before digging into his pocket to search for the keys to the door._

 _"So then, wonder shall we make today. Got any ideas, Kanaka-chan?"_

 _"*Kitsune-udon!"_

 _He asks as he looks_ _over to_ _a_ _n_ _young 11-year-old Sasha sporting a elbow-sleeved black shirt and dark lilac tea-length pants as she_ _declares_ _her answer with a bright smile._

 _ **During that time, I gained new-found confidence into liking myself and embracing my uniqueness...**_

* * *

 **~(4 months later)~**

 _4 months after entering Yōkai Gakuen's Jr. high division, life at the campus had gotten even more livelier since the enrollment of new students ranging from all corners of Japan as the sun sets for another day as twilight descends upon the closed-off world as the sound of laughter was heard from the garden of a certain institution._

 _"Yo, what's happening; Shōnenrashī––?! **OH SHIT**!"_

 _Asked_ _Sasaki Kanada - He looked exactly like he does now with the exception of having a spiky haircut and a black uniform - But not before letting out a curse as he dodges an incoming flying kick by a flash of dark purple as the force of the attack had caused the tree behind Kanada to snap in two._

 _*Ka-boom*_

 _"Ah no, not again... This is the 25_ _th_ _time today."_

 _Masaki said exasperatedly as he and the other wards looked over to the decimated tree and its destroyer – It was a young 13-year-old Kanaka Sasha - She sported a *modified student uniform as her unruly midback-length hair had_ _grown to waist-length over the years and is tied in a long braid - Seeing how frightening Sasha can be once provoked, Kanada lets out a whistle as he tries to calm his nōshishoku-haired friend down by accidentally said the same taboo word twice._

 _"Now now, let's just calm down a bit, Shōnenrashī––?!"_

 _"Quit calling me 'Shōnenrashījo', Nē!"._

 ** _Moments of gentleness, admired affection and unyielding youthful ideals were everything I've known, I felt like I was on a track to success but..._**

 _Sasha yelled furiously as her hair shot up and tangled itself around Kanada's neck as Masaki and the others sighed and tried to calm the situation down as well as to save their wise-cracking *nōkon-haired friend from their nōshishoku-haired friend's wrath._

 _"Ok Sacchan, I think Kanada has learned his lesson... At this rate, the dude's going to die of suffocation if you keep this up."_

 _Said Masaki as he sees Hijiri came from behind Sasha and tickled her sides as the young girl giggled uncontrollably as her hair loosens its grip around Kanada's neck as he falls down to the ground while Hijiri continues to tickle the young girl relentlessly before Masaki bopped him upside the head as the young man gave out a silent cry while Kanada broke out in laughter at one another's antics without a care in the world as Sasha walked back inside the building without even noticing the glares of a few female students residing from inside the southeast corridor._

 ** _...That was before I knew that such things would have bad consequences if you're not too careful..._**

* * *

 **~(30 Minutes later)~**

 _**Over the years, I gained popularity from the male student body which have earned the jealousy of the older girls due to me having looks that others could kill for and for being near** * **that person...**_

 _"To think that you guys had stooped to pretty low_ _level, from threatening a 1st year to kidnapping my younger siblings and then ganging up on me. As I thought, a woman's jealously truly is unslightly, *Sempai-tachi."_

 _"GET HER!"_

 _Sasha said as she frees her two younger siblings from the grasp of the 3_ _rd_ _years girls as they surround Sasha like a pack of hyenas and charged at Sasha as the sunlight blares down on the scene until Sasha succumbs to exhaustion as she was pinned to the ground by her captors as they attempt on_ _making her the only girl with cropped hair._

 _"Hold her down already!"_

 _"I'm trying, I'm trying. This girl is much stronger than she looks, you know!"_

 ** _Needless to say, it didn't exactly guarantee my victory nor did it help since it was probably due my mistake in judgment._**

 _ _The girls shouted as they try to subdue Sasha as she struggles with all her might while the ringleader looked on and stayed silent - It was an young girl with dark sunset-red hair tied loosely into a side-ponytail and *higanbana-red eyes - She wore an alternated version of the Yōkai Gakuen standard uniform that was entirely consisted of charcoal-black, dark scarlet-red and dark hydrangea-purple colors.__

 _ _"Hmph, you know for a *Hāfu, you sure are stubborn..."__

 _ _"Heh, fun fact about us Sanjo is that we were raised not to give up on anything that we set our minds to and that we stick to it until the end, *Warren..."__

 _ _The girl said as she remarks of how stubborn Sasha truly is despite her appearance while Sasha smirks and remarks in a sassy fashion hinted with a bit of venom in her voice as the former scoffed in a haughty manner.__

 ** _Perhaps it was my pride speaking, but I couldn't bring myself to call for help because I was so determined not to rely on others but..._**

 _ _Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming against the wall was heard as it prompted the 3__ _ _rd__ _ _years and Sasha look over to the__ _ _door__ _ _\- It was Masaki that had arrived at the scene along with Kanada and the others in tow.__

 _ _"Masaki, Kanada––?! Oh crap!"__

 _ _Sasha said confusingly but realizes of what Warren was about to do__ _ _as she__ _ _sens__ _ _es__ _ _a sudden shift i__ _ _n weight and__ _ _takes advantage of__ _ _it__ _ _as she delivers a swift punch to her captor's head as she quickly calls out to Masaki over by the entrance as Warren scowls and breaks into a sprint.__

 _"Masaki, no! GET BACK!"_

 _"You should've just stayed out of the way, little boy!"_

 ** _Honestly, I had zero idea of what had happen but all I knew is that I just didn't want to have someone else get hurt because of me..._**

 _ _Warren shouted angrily as she brings a heavily grotesque razor-sharp clawed hand down on Masaki but not before being pushed aside by Sasha, who mysteriously appeared behind him, much to Masaki's and Warren's shock to which she casts aside and resumed her attack.__

 _ _"Like I said, DON'T HINDER ME!"__

 _ _Warren screeched__ _ _her__ _ _claws made contact__ _ _to Sasha's arms__ _ _and left shallow gashes as she cries out in pain before she was kicked in the stomach by Warren's kick__ _ _and__ _ _crashes against the stone railing and falls to the cold concrete as blood seeps from under her arms.__

 _ _"SASHA-CHAN!"__

 _ _Masaki, along with Kanada and the rest, cries out to the fallen Sasha as she struggles to fight against the impending slumber while Masaki's eyes,__ _ _what__ _ _was filled with innocent blis__ _ _s,__ _ _has__ _ _darkened__ _ _into a dark shade of__ _ _blue__ _ _before__ _ _something in him has__ _ _shatter__ _ _ed__ _ _into a thousand pieces like fragile obsidian.__

 _ _"DAMN YOU!"__

 _ _"MASAKI!"__

 _ _Masaki roared with an uncharacteristic cry as his yōki erupted like a geyser and floods the rooftop like a tidal wave as Kanada and the boys cried out while Sasha desperately tries to will her body to stay awake but was engulfed by drowsiness as her eyes focuses in and out of consciousness like the blurred lens of a camera.__

 _ _"Ma... Masa... '[Masaki...]'"__

 _ _Sasha desperately calls out to the *shūri-haired boy as screams of terror filled the air and the sound of ripping flesh was heard as the girl's body had surrendered itself to exhaustion.__

 ** _The only things that I remember was that the world around me was dyed pitch-black like the deep dark night of midwinter._**

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback)~**

"I don't really remember what happen next but––?! Hm? ... ... Why, Kokoa-chan, what a nice surprise––?!"

Sasha said vaguely before seeing Kokoa's companion, Kō-chan, transformed into a spiked mallet causing both Kanada and Sasha to paled altogether.

"You know, just once I would love to spend my summer vacation without having any trouble come and find me, Nē! It feels like the entire universe has nothing better to do than to prove me wrong!"

"Sacchan, if you have time to complain, then keep moving your damn feet!"

Sasha said as she complained that the universe was out to get her as they moved out of the way before Kokoa swung down Kō-chan hard to the ground.

* * *

 **~(2 minutes later)~**

After surviving Kokoa's reprimanding rampage and calming her down, Sasha immediately explains to her from the beginning without leaving behind a detail.

"So you're saying that you guys got caught up in reminiscing the old times just enough to forget about the promise time, is that what you're telling me?"

Kokoa said as they made their way over to the inn that Nekonome-sensei had booked, the 'Kaifū-ya', as they entered through the hostel's patio door just in time for Rubi's announcement.

"Alright alright, let's all settle down now. Don't forget, we're still 9 people short!"

Rubi shouted modestly as she gathers everyone's attention and reminds them of what Nekonome-sensei had said hours earlier and continues on with the announcement.

"And without any further ado, let me just say this: WELCOME TO THE NEWSPAPER CLUB'S SUMMER RETREAT!"

Rubi said as barks of laughter filled the air until sundown as everyone had made their way to their rooms respectively as they were getting ready for lights out... Well all except for one.

"'[Thank God the Headmaster granted me permission to continue my practice during my stay here.]'"

Sasha thought happily as she dons a black/purple tracksuit and grabs her tennis shoes while donning her necklace unknowingly as she crept downstairs and approaches the back door but not before an voice stops her in her tracks as Sasha looks over her shoulder to see a patient Kanada donning his own tracksuit and smirking mischievously as he leans against the fence.

"Going somewhere at this hour, Sacchan?"

"Keep furrowing those brows like that and you'll have wrinkles by the time you're 20––?!"

Sasha grumbles as Kanada defended himself by saying something that prompted an attack from the nōshishoku-haired girl.

* * *

 **~(Moments later)~**

The sandy-brown beach near the Kaifū-ya was illuminated by the crescent moonlight, Sasha feels the cool air caressing her face as she makes her way across the white-colored sand and raised her arms high into the air as she relieves tension in her shoulders.

"You know something? If it wasn't for me seeing your mug tonight, then this would've been pitch perfect."

"Ah c'mon, don't be like that, *Oni no Fukukaichō-chan."

"Just one of these days, Kanada; your 'devil-may-care' attitude is going to land both of us into a whole shitload of trouble––!"

Sasha said bluntly while Kanada feints a hurtful pang as the two bicker but was interrupted by a sudden outburst of *Sakki, causing Sasha to look both ways until she closed her eyes and emits her 'special ability' as she wills its expansion.

"'[5–– No–– 3 meters from the north-east. 10 seconds... Crap!]' Kanada –– ABOVE!"

Sasha thought as she pushed Kanada away from the spot as the sand explodes into the air and surrounds the area while Kanada took the opportunity and rushes over to where Sasha is as he crouches down to eye-level to check for injuries that Sasha might have sustained.

"Sasha! Are you alright?!"

"'[Great, the one moment I don't need the *Kibarashigyō, this happens...]' Yeah––?! LOOK OUT!"

Kanada asks as Sasha she regrets of leaving her mirror behind before pushing Kanada out of the way as four maces shoots at her as she did a quadruple back-flip, Kanada looked over and dodged incoming kunai as he rolls over to the other side whereas Sasha eluded the attacks through multiple styles of gymnastics.

"W-whoa! '[Huh?]' Eh, yikes! '[As I thought, the enemy's keeping us at a distance and away from each other, dammit!]'"

Kanada notices something strange as he sees the attacker continuing to push Sasha into an corner with every strike.

"'[Whoa, close... Too close to call! If one of those things get me like that again, then I'll––?!]'"

Sasha thought as she saw how close the attacks are coming, unaware that a leg-cuff lunged towards her as it wrapped itself around the latter's right leg and pulled back with great momentum along with the latter into the air before Kanada using wind pressure to cut the chain mid-air as the girl vaulted and skidded across the sand.

"THANKS A BUNCH!"

Sasha gave out her thanks as she takes off in a sprint before skidding to a halt and throws a rock over to the center with intensity, causing the smoke to disappear and reveals the attacker: It was an pale white lotus-like dragon, covered in seashells, maces and chains as it lets out a banshee-like scream, causing Kanada and Sasha to cover their ears in discomfort.

"The hell is that thing... Is it even a Yōkai?!"

Sasha grunted in pain as Kanada questioned the authenticity of the dragon's origin before it exploded into sand as the sound of clapping was heard from within the dust cloud.

"Well, well... I didn't think that you were a match for my *Shikigami but clearly, I guess it's the other way around."

"I should say the same to you though isn't it considered rude to engaged an attack against two unarmed civilians?"

Suddenly, a mysterious voice ranged out from the cover-up as Kanada scoffed and sarcastically remarked the man's introduction much to Sasha's irritation.

"As expected of the Ayashi-rei no Musume's 'Shield', nothing gets pass you."

As the dust settled, it soon revealed the summoner – It was a young man with shoulder-length snowy white hair and an eye-length chalk-white mask tied with a black silk ribbon – He wore an elbow-sleeved black shirt followed by black jeans along with a sleeveless ivory-white jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejime and black opened-toed sandals along with a *kodachi attached securely to his waist.

"Please forgive me but I am Captain of the *Rokkagumi's 1st Unit: *Byakuren and I must say it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sasha A.I Kanaka and Sasaki Kanada."

"[Can't say that the feeling's mutual...]"

Byakuren said as he bows politely and slowly goes into his battle stance as the night breeze turns into a roaring wind and the moonlight shines brightly as Byakuren unsheathes his sword.

"Ordinarily, I would follow my superiors' orders, but I've been dying to test my mettle against the two cadet members of Shinrinmura's Legendary *Sanrō."

"And let me guess, you want to raise the stakes, is that it?"

Byakuren said as he remembers of how he disobeyed orders by confronting the two high school students in which Kanada summed it up in a simplistic manner.

"As straightforward as an arrow, Sasaki-kun. If I were to win, then Kanaka-kun is to come with me without question."

"And if we win? '[Well I guess the only way to know is to find out who these guys are is through the HARD way...]'"

Sasha asked curiously as Byakuren remained silent before the former thinks silently to herself as the waves was roaring as a raging river during a rainstorm.

"You know, those who take on the GAMBLE of challenging the 'Ayashi-rei no Musume' and the *'Fūkikō'..."

Sasha said as her bangs shadows her eyes while Kanada joins in on the fun before revealing two pairs of deep navy-blue and pure byzantium-purple eyes as they gave out their answer.

"IS EQUIVALENT IN ASKING FOR A DEATH WISH!"

Kanada and Sasha declared union, unaware that they were being watched by Kaname Rūto, who stationed himself by the window inside the temple and surveys the fight at hand.

"It appears that 1st round's about to begin, are you sure you don't want to stick around and watch what happens instead of going back, *Shujinkō-kun?"

"Rūto, you already know my answer––?!"

"Now now, before you say anything just hear me out. This is more than enough time to figure out what makes her tick."

"Perhaps..."

"And now, let the battle BEGIN!"

He asks as the cloaked figure leans against the doorway and retorts casually as the wind and the waves roared in synchronization as the landscape was once again covered by the incoming clouds as it blocks the crescent moon.

* * *

Authoress: Whew! Finally **DONE**! I'd ought to say, I think I did well with this chapter!

In the later chapters, I will post (or upgrade) the chapter for footnotes and terms so please be patient! ^w^

Once again, all comments and criticisms are welcome and I own nothing.


	5. V

Authoress: AND SO DAWNS THE 5TH CHAPTER! And I would like to thank the 5 reviewers and the 3 who faved and followed my story~!

And P.S., I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here.

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **bold/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

P.S.S., I have more information of Sasaki Kanada!

Biography: At one point of their 1st year during Jr. High, Kanada was present when Sasha unofficially adopted two young *Nekogodomo after the two kids were orphaned by a gang of poachers hiding out somewhere near the outskirts of the Western Great Barrier's. Shortly thereafter, Kanada was also there when Sasha struck a deal with Tenmei about never setting one foot outside the barrier grounds until graduation arrives, much to his dismay.

* * *

 **Chapter V: 5** **th** **Step in Spending** **One's time in R** **ecuperati** **on** **and** **Falling for Another's Machinations**

* * *

 **~(The next day...)~**

The dark sky begins to lighten up with bright hues of light orange and pink as the morning mist created by the waves slowly vanishes like exalted breath as the sun starts to ascend from the horizon, lighting the seaside town with its light.

"I see, so both parties have already engaged... If that's the case… Let the game begin."

Said a mysterious figure as he walks on the wires connecting one end to another while the kudagitsune from before slithers and coiled itself around his neck as to not cut off his breathing while the man made his descent off the wires and onto a rooftop and stands at the pinnacle of the building as the sunlight shines from the horizon as the wind rustled his cloak along with his hood as it reveals a pair of navy-blue eyes.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile over in** **Kaifū-ya – In Rm. 106)~**

Meanwhile over at the Kaifū-ya, Sasha hugged her pillow as her legs curled up to her chest whereas her waist was covered halfway by a sheet as a ray of sunlight shines onto her face causing the girl to stir in sleep and rolled on her back as it reveals that her chest had been wrapped up in layers of bandages ranging from her bust to her waist.

"'[Morning already? But I just got to bed not too long ago...]' As much as I love the summertime, the nights are just too––?!"

"'Damn short'? Though I don't blame you..."

Sasha grumbles as a sharp pain forms in her chest while sitting up and shifting her legs into a more comfortable position before seeing an casual-clad Kanada perched himself on the pane like an oversized bird as he was covered in patches from his left cheek to his right eye as he waved his bandaged right hand in the air.

"Yo, Pisicuţă-chan––?!"

"You look like shit, *Kanachi."

"And same to you."

Sasha said bluntly while Kanada retorted in a bored tone as he jumps from the pane while holding up a file with the name 'Rokkagumi' as he looks over to Sasha.

"W-what? What is it?"

Sasha asked warily as Kanada reached out to her with both hands and ran his fingers through her hair to comb out the tangles and knots much to the latter's displeased annoyance as he continues to combed through Sasha's hair until she swats his hand away in annoyance and gets up from her bed only to stumble by the pain in her right leg as it caused Kanada to catch her by holding her shoulders in a gentle vice-like grip.

"Easy, girl, easy... '[As I thought...]' C'mon, let's head to the bathroom..."

Kanada said as Sasha nodded and guided her steadily over to the bathroom with a towel and a fresh pair of clothes in hand before Sasha's face blushed furiously as she recounts her early childhood days as she tries to swat Kanada's hand away as he sets the latter onto the edge.

"You know, I'm not incapable of taking a shower by myself––?!"

"Oh c'mon, you honestly think that I'm like other guys? This is you we're talking about: Think about it, if I did something *ecchi to you, then Sakaru-nīsan would killed me."

Kanada asks as he pins Sasha's hair in a bun and reaches over to the valve in the tub as the whistling sound of the water shoots from the faucet as he takes out a vial of ointment and pours it into the tub.

"Just let your body soak in for about 5-10 minutes and you'll be good as new. If you need me, I'll be outside."

Kanada said as he lays out instructions for Sasha to follow while the former nodded only once as he makes his way out of the bathroom while Sasha expresses her thanks to the nōkon-haired boy.

"Right. Thank you, Kanada."

"No problem."

After Kanada left, Sasha unbuttons her shirt and unbinding her bandages before proceeding in taking off the rest of her clothing as she enters the tub carefully as she hisses in pain as her wounds came into contact with the water.

"Ah SHIT!"

Sasha curses in fluent English as she struggles to make herself comfortable before seeing her reflection in the water and rethinks about the fight late last night.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 1:09 am)~**

 _** **Last night was like nothing that I've ever come across before...**_

 _The atmosphere suddenly becomes chilly from the night air and the clouds to shift and swirl almost like a whirlpool as the sound of unsheathing metal is heard._

 _"Now then... BEGIN!"_

 _Byakuren shouted_ _before he smirks smugly as he vanishes without a trace and emit a grand amount of *Sakki into the air as Sasha and Kanada scowled in annoyance and looked around themselves before closing the gap between them until they're back to back._

 _"Well well, looks like someone here did their homework... If we're not too careful, then I fear that we won't come out unscathed this time, Sacchan..."_

 _Kanada said as he looks left to right for any signs of the white-clothed samurai as Sasha scoffed and did the same while her body tenses in suspense._

 _"'[Clever bastard... He's emitting his energy into the air, preventing me from pinpointing his exact location.]' Ah dammit, just where the hell is this guy––?!"_

 _"You should choose your words wisely, Kanaka-san because the old saying goes, 'Be careful of what you wish for'."_

 _Sasha said as she thought about how Byakuren discharged his aura into the air as it confuses her senses and sighed irritably until suddenly Byakuren appears before her as a sinister grin dons the his lips and swung his sword across Sasha's chest causing her to grunt in pain as he kicked her to the side and skidded across the ground._

 _"I've heard that your detection skills are unparalleled but if this is the true extent of your strength––?!"_

 _Byakuren retorted as he sheathed his sword and see the state that 'she' was in but the body slowly starts to waver like ripples appearing on a watery surface as it begins to deteriorate like a haze until it vanishes into smoke as if a flame had just been blown out._

 _ **If it hadn't been for Kanada's quick thinking, then most likely I've wouldn't be standing here today.**_

 _"What?! But how––?!"_

 _Byakuren thought as he looked behind himself to see Kanada but only to find an vacant spot and a wisp of dust rising in the air._

 _"'[What the hell is going on––?!]'"_

 _Distressed by the sudden disappearances, Byakuren looks around until finally he felt two different energies and caused the man to look up to the sky as he sees Sasha had back-flipped as she sends out a flying kick in the form of a crescent moon._

 _"*KURESENTO Talon!"_

 _Sasha shouted as she sends the first kick two meters in front of Byakuren as it conjures up a smokescreen to entrap the latter momentarily as he senses another incoming attack and dodged it by side-stepping to the other side._

 _"'[I got ya now, you bastard!]' Take this! *Fūsanami!"_

 _Kanada shouted as he raised his right arm and swung it to the ground as it caused the sand to erupt and engulf Byakuren like how a person is before being swept away by a powerful ocean current._

 _ **At first, we just thought it would be another victory for us as usually but... We thought wrong.**_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time – With Kanada)~**

While Sasha is busy healing her wounds, Kanada indulged himself into the paperwork as he combed through the pages that he pulled together late last night and hands a paper with a photo of a faraway city surrounded by mountain, forest and ocean on all four sides over to his companion who was resting outside the window.

"*Mizūmi no Sato's *Rōsokutō-shi...?"

Asked the mysterious figure as she raised a brow at the Rōsokutō-shi's other nickname while Kanada silently nodded as he remembers the events from earlier today.

* * *

 **~(Flashback – 1:37 am)~**

 _** **At first, we were under the impression that it was just an easy win but man... Were we proven wrong.**_

 _"And little word of advice: 'Before you wallow yourself in *'Amazaké no Masaru', be sure to taste *'Nigaizaké no Rakutan' first or otherwise..."_

 _Sasha said as she brushed a lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear as Kanada cracked his knuckles to relieve tension as the waves roared in the distance._

 _"'You're in for one hell of an after-taste!'"_

 _Sasha said as Byakuren rolled over to his side as he struggles to stand up as he was blasted over a few meters across the sand as the attack had disarmed him in the process._

 _"'[N-no way, but how... It's impossible..]'"_

 _Byakuren thought as he was surprised to see Sasha unscathed, lectured and depraved of his weapon at the same time, Byakuren gets up from the ground and brushes the dust off from his clothing and spitting out bits of sand, wiping at the smudge of a scratch on his chin._

 _ **The way he withstood two of our best attacks head-on and how he gotten out of it with only scrapes practically had me quaking in my boots...**_

 _"Amazing... So that's why you two are a 'tightly-knitted pair'..."_

 _He secretly smiles as he lowers his head in which caused his bangs hide the look in his eyes as Sasha and Kanada were shocked to see that he was still standing after being dealt with two of their best attacks._

 _"'[No way... KURESENTO Talon and Fūsanami are two of our best attacks and yet he brushes it aside like it was nothing?!]'"_

 _"'[Those attacks are worth four times the damage, you would think that he'd be down for the count––?!]'"_

 _Sasha and Kanada thought as they recount the times whenever they unleashed their attacks respectively while Byakuren relieves all tension in his body_ _as his bangs keeps shadowing his eyes._

 _"*'Fūrinkazan'... 'Be swift like the wind and stay_ _silent as the forest'... As expected of_ _the Captain of the Sanrō, *Kamino Luciana, she schooled her students well..."_

 _Byakuren said as he recites an old verse from Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' and praises the individuals' teamwork as well as offering his words of compliments to their mentor before Byakuren smiles eerily, much to Kanada's suspicion._

 _"But I'm afraid that you just weren't fast enough."_

 _"… … …!"_

 ** _At first, I didn't realize what he meant but after seeing what's he's capable of,_ _it was no longer a laughing matter._**

 _Suddenly, Sasha felt a sharp pang in her chest as a strong metallic scent wafts into the air, causing the latter to fall to her knees and clutched her chest with both hands as she feels something warm dampening her shirt and takes her hands away from her chest only to realized that they've been dyed a deep crimson-red colour by her blood._

 _"'[I-impossible!]'"_

 _Sasha thought as she senses Byakuren conjuring up his speed again as he disappears in a flash as the sand to drift into the air with every step of the way and retrieved his recently discarded sword._

 _"I've heard that you've become quite a different person when 'pushed'_ , _so I was hoping to meet you as the '*Higure no Paparatchi' or perhaps the '*Hoshizukiyo no Kyūketsukijo' ."_

 _Byakuren said as Sasha gasps while she hardens her glare harshly as the atmosphere grows dark and cold like an howling snowstorm during_ _the dead of winter._

 _"And seeing how this is a golden opportunity to turn the tide, since there's been an increase in numbers on your part... Isn't that right; Kokuyo-kun_?"

 _ **As much as I hate to admit it but I'm actually grateful for that** * **Inushōjo's appearance.**_

 _Byakuren asked as Sasha and Kanada saw an incoming attack behind him and pulled back abruptly while Byakuren dodged the strike as the wind starts to pick up the pace by blocking the moonlight with the_ _drifting clouds._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - 6:31 am)~**

Kanada said as he reads through the files and the photos, ranging from town districts, suburban villages and city neighborhoods while the young figure narrows her eyes in suspicion as she remembers the first time she laid eyes on Byakuren.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 2:29 am)~**

 _** **Kanada's right about one thing: 'Things aren't always what they seem'...**_

 _Sasha and Kanada widened their eyes in surprise as they saw the newcomer – It was *Kokuyo Inuya - She wore an autumn-red kimono top followed by a pair of harvest-gold pants along with white low-heeled shoes._

 _"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Inu-chan!"_

 _"Yeah, ecstatic..."_

 _"Sorry I'm late, you would not believe of how much traffic they was..."_

 _Sasha said relievedly as Kanada replies sarcastically while Inu played it cool by not revealing of how she boarded the wrong train and ended up in traffic, Sasha often remembers of how Kanda and Inu had never gotten along with each other but whenever the situation_ _becomes difficult, the two individuals sets aside their differences without a second thought._

 _ **At first, I wanted to refrain from interfering and observe for Sacchan's sake but after seeing that guy's skills, it was no longer an option.**_

 _"Aw man, just when I thought I could surprise Sacchan and *Kanada-temē but... The fact that you've harmed my friends still stands and for that, you're going to pay very dearly––?!"_

 _"I heard that, *Tonchiki!"_

 _Inu said as she playfully insults Kanada as he looks over to her with an 'in-front-of-something-you-hate' look while he retorted angrily as Sasha sweat-dropped nervously._

 _"Well well, to have 3 of Yōkai Gakuen's *Jūni-shi as my opponents is a rare honor and if that's the case; I ought to take things up a notch... *Byakuren-ryū: Ninpō: Shirasu Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

 _Byakuren said before shouting out as he jabs his kodachi into the ground and conjures a spark of blue lightning as it surges forth underneath and creates two perfect sand-based replicas of himself before vanishing and reappearing again behind Sasha, prompting the latter to swing back her left arm._

 _"'[DAMN!]' Take this! *Mikazuki STRIKE!"_

 _Sasha shouted as Byakuren dodged and pulled back abruptly as they jumped a few steps away from Sasha's current position and took out his sword as he stabbed it into the ground._

 _"*Byakuren-ryū: Ninpō: Shirasutsunami no Jutsu!"_

 _Byakuren shouted as the spark surges up a tidal-like wavelet of sand erupted from under him and willed it towards Sasha's direction as it caused both Inu and Kanada look over to the direction and to go to her side before being stopped by Byakuren's replicas._

 _"Get out of my way!"_

 _Seeing the replicas blocking their path, both Inu and Kanada shouted simultaneously as they cut down the clones with her razor-sharp claws and his Kazakiri respectively as they smirk in triumph but not before seeing that the clones were left unaffected by the attacks and instead split into two respectively._

 _"What the––!?"_

 _"These things are like *Hydra!"_

 _Inu said irritably as she and Kanada dealt their deathblows to the growing doppelgängers but was immediately frustrated by the fact that they have_ _multiplied in numbers large enough to be a group._

 _"EH?!"_

 _"OH, C'MON!"_

 _Inu and Kanada chorused dejectedly as they go up against the replicas while Sasha dodges another attack from Byakuren as they continued to battle as the sound of metallic steel rings throughout the beach non-stop while Sasha rethinks about what Byakuren had said before._

 _"Does it matter? In the end, 'He' will always be two steps ahead and you two steps behind..."_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - With Sasha)~**

Byakuren's words had echoed within the crevices of Sasha's mind as she unplugs the drain and stood up, just enough to grab a towel hanging onto the railing.

"'Two steps ahead and two steps behind', huh? I guess this is what others like to call a 'worst-case scenario'..."

As the droplets drips from the faucet, she wraps the towel around her body and dries herself off gently as she makes her way over to the counter - Her outfit was a form-fitting sleeveless lactarius-indigo one-piece jumpsuit followed dark amethyst-purple stockings - She exits the bathroom and into the room only to see that Inu and Kanada were knee-deep into their work.

"'[It's always like this... Heck, I'm surprised that they haven't snapped and ripped each other's throats out already.]'"

Sasha thought as she starts drying her hair as she combs it thoroughly with the hairbrush until her hair is completely dried while secretly looking over her shoulder to see that Inu and Kanada were on the verge of snapping and wanting to beat the crap out of each other.

"'[Well, better to defuse this before I'm drawn into it...]' Na, Inu-chan; wanna help me with my hair?"

"Huh? Oh! Y-yeah, sure thing, Sacchan."

Sasha thought while finding the outfit a difficult to breathe as she unbuttons the collar and asks Inu as the latter responds and walks away over to Sasha as Kanada cleared his throat as they diverted their undivided gaze over to the young nōkon-haired boy.

"So Kanada, what else did you guys dig up concerning the Rokkagumi?"

Sasha asks Kanada about what he and Inu had gathered along the was as they informed her of what they said prior to Sasha's make-shift medical treatment.

"So in other words, we have absolutely no idea of who these people are or what they're after..."

Sasha sighs, taking up her ribbon and ties her hair with as she picks up her mirror, putting it inside her right pocket before going back into thought about the case.

"'[With the Rokkagumi breathing down our necks, the chances of us finding out about them are 50/50...]'"

Sasha pondered silently as she walks from the center of the room and over to the door as the creaking sound catches the attention of Inu and Kanada altogether.

"Where are you going, Sasha?"

They asked curiously as their voices stopped the young nōshishoku-haired girl in her tracks unaware of her concerned gaze before the latter replaces it with her smile as she looks over her shoulder.

"I'm heading over to the canteen, you guys want anything?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I haven't eaten anything since this morning so... *Mugiyu with *meron-pan, please."

"OK and while I'm at it, Inu-chan come with me. We need to inform Rubi-san about your arrival and have you assigned to a group (mainly mine)."

**"That's right, I've been dying to meet the new/old recruits of the Newspaper Club."

Sasha asked as she and Inu walked downstairs and entered the bar as they were greeted by San – She wore a cute knee-length sky-blue sundress with baby-pink ruffles at the hem and low-heeled white sandals.

"[Ara! Sasha-chan, Kokuyo-kun; Ohayo!]"

She wrote happily while Marin enters the hall and greets the young schoolgirls – She wore a sleeveless white buttoned shirt with blue shin-length jeans and black converse shoes.

"Oh girls, Ohayo!"

"Kawamoto-san, Ohayo~"

As both Sasha and Inu finished their greeting, Marin guided the girls over to the sun room to talk privately as she asks the outcome of Sasha's wounds.

"How are your wounds keeping up?"

Marin asks worryingly as Sasha remembers about what happened earlier today, much to her dismay and remained silent about it as Inu scoffed lightly in annoyance due to the mere mention of it.

"Well, the good news is that the bleeding stopped on its own but it looks like Sasha's going to avoid picking up things for a while."

Inu said as she advises Sasha to avoid unnecessary moving before Marin sighs lightly and cautions them to be more careful during their stay in the Human World as Sasha shrugs off her injuries.

"Seriously guys, you make it sound like it's big deal. Need I remind you guys that I've been through worst than this."

"'[You call a blow to the chest and to the ribcage as 'not big deal'?]'"

Sasha said before San, Marin and Inu thought about the former's wounds in a deadpanned tone as Sasha scowled in annoyance before turning her attention to Marin and apologizes to the young innkeeper.

"But I'm terribly sorry for scaring you last night, Kawamoto-san... '[In fact, if it wasn't for that other guy, then the situation would've been even more TROUBLESOME.]'"

* * *

 **~(Flashback – 3:19 am)~**

 _The cool wind soon began to drift over to the seaside town from the ocean as an unnatural silence lingers in the air until muffled sound of thundering was heard from the distance as it grew closer and closer until finally, it shattered the silence as if it were like glass itself._

 _ **BOOM**!_

 _The stilled surface was disturbed by a violent force of a shadowed figure entering the tide pool as the water splashed around violently as bubbles starts to appear until they're accompanied by multiple bubbles as the figure resurfaces as it reveals a slightly battered Sasha as she lets out a gurgled cough._

 _"Sasha-chan!"_

 _Inu, who didn't show even the slightest signs of fatigue, cried out as she found herself being surrounded by Byakuren's sand replicas as they had multiplied into 8s while Kanada looked over to Sasha as he fought against his share of the clones and collapsed to the ground thanks to exhaustion._

 _"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"_

 _Seeing the clones are closing in on her, Inu releases an electrifying current into the ground and engulfed them until they returned to their original state, Inu rushed without a second thought as the whole ordeal was being witnessed by an equally-battered Byakuren as he stands on the rocky border of the tide pools._

 _"You know, you three are quite tenacious but let's see of how well it can hold up, shall we?! *Ninpō: Fūton: Daitoppa!"_

 _Byakuren shouted as he inhales the air deeply and blows out an energy-infused blast of wind as Kanada senses the intensity behind the technique and quickly vaulted over to where Inu is as she struggles to heave an unconscious Sasha out of the water._

 _"'[Shit, to go up against something so intense is suicide_ _but... The odds of it succeeding are 50/50 but...]' *Tōboefū!"_

 _Kanada thought as he conjures a similar attack and aims at the incoming attack but not before seeing that the two attacks have canceled each other out and senses that it's on the verge of backfiring._

 _"'[Oh shit...!]'"_

 _Kanada thought before he jumps down from the ledge and shielded the girls as the blast exploded violently as it sweeps Byakuren off his feet and caused him to skid across the sand until a mysterious hand appears and halted the boy's descent._

 _"You see, this is what happens when you disobeyed orders and go off on your own, Byakuren."_

 _It was a young man with crimson-red hair with left-parted bangs – Like Byakuren, he wore a elbow-sleeved black shirt with black ankle-length jeans followed by a sleeveless scarlet-red jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejima and black opened-toed sandals - He dons a eye-length carmine-red mask tied with a black silk ribbon and like Byakuren, he too also sports a kodachi which he attaches to his right hip._

 _"I don't need you to tell me that, *Shakuren-temē..."_

 _Byakuren grumbled as he felt his body tremble a bit and coughed up bloodied spit as Shakuren helped his white-clad companion up carefully as he and Byakuren made their way to the devastated tide pools only to find out that Kanada, Inu and Sasha had survived the blast by diving into the water to avoid the blast.  
_

 _"What the––?! No way, I don't believe it..."_

 _"They've survived...? '[Normally, to fend off Byakuren's attack head-on with an equally powerful attack is suicidal but to simply avoid the blast by diving into the water...]' Well well, it appears that I know the reason of why he was granted the title *'Fūkikō' and how he is deemed as Yōkai Gakuen's *'Gesenaidate no Kanada'..."_

 _Byakuren was rendered speechless as Shakuren thought about how devastating the former's techniques, along with praising Kanada's agile reflexes before finding out the reason behind Kanada's nickname and how he was made as Sasha's right-hand man._

 _"It appears that my companion had caused you three a little bit of trouble today..."_

 _"What?!"_

 _Shakuren said as Kanada and Inu looked at him with pure outrage when he addressed the whole thing as a 'little bit of trouble' but not before replacing their expressions with a look of shock as they witnessed Shakuren had summoned a birdcage-like gateway cloaked with an ghostly veil from top to bottom._

 _"Now now, if makes you guys feel any better, this victory_ _belongs to you, however I will say this: The next time we meet, things will end differently..."_

 _Shakuren said as he announces the winner of the fight as he and Byakuren enters the gateway and disappears without a trace as Kanada looks on in suspicion before turning his attention to Inu and an unconscious Sasha in her arms._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback – Present Time)~**

"'[And judging by his tone, he literally means it...]'."

Inu thought back to Shakuren's claim and its authenticity last night as Sasha remained silent before Marin and San looked at the two girls as worry soon grew into concern.

"If that's the case, be careful from on now, Kanaka-san. I'm not trying to scare you but until your teacher comes back, please play it safe for your sake and others."

Marin said as she lays out some precautions and ground rules to the girls, especially Sasha as she hesitated a little before reluctantly agreeing with the young innkeeper's advice.

"Now that matter is settled, why don't you two join us for shopping, you know; to help pass the time until lunch?"

"Sure thing!/You bet!"

"Great, we'll leave in a little while."

Marin asks politely as Sasha smiled happily when she and Inu accepts the offer eagerly as she and San disappears into the next room while the latter suddenly lets out a gasp and brought Inu's attention to her.

"Oh, I totally forgot! You didn't get the chance to greet the others yet, haven't you; Inu-chan?"

"Ah well, if your club-mates are like how you described them back at practice, then I'm quite certain that I'm bound to like them."

"That's more like it... '[And while I'm at it, I could at least use a break...]' C'mon, the others are over by the patio along with Gin-sempai and Haiji-sempai."

Sasha smirks as both girls walked over to the patio and were greeted by the club president: Morioka Gin'ei - A young man with ink-black hair which he keeps back with a red headband and reddish-brown eyes - He wore a black elbow-length black shirt accompanied by a silver wolf head pendant around his neck along with beige jeans and black sneakers.

"Hey there, Kanaka-chan! Ooh, and who is this lovely young lady?"

Gin asked as he moves over to Inu's side and tries to make a move on her by resting his hand onto her right hip, only to retract it due to Sasha giving him the death glare and Inu's swatting his hand away.

"Morioka Gin'ei, commonly known as Yōkai Gakuen's 'Mad Dog' and self-proclaimed womanizer, is rendered scared by girls 2 years his junior, now what are the odds?"

"Ah clam it, Haiji!"

Said Miyamoto Haiji - Another young man with cropped light grey hair and dark-colored eyes - He wore a white karate uniform outfit tied with a black belt across the waist and light dark brown converse shoes - He looks over at Gin and comments amusingly much to Gin's embarrassment.

"Hello! My name is Kokuyo Inu! Pleased to meet you all!"

Inu greeted everyone with a smile as Sasha laughed softly as she pulls Inu to the side of the patio before they decided to meet up with Marin and San while everyone send them off and disperse until Gin and Haiji were the only ones left as both men remained silent until Haiji sighs as he placed his hand in his right pocket and takes out a half-crumpled paper.

"So what exactly is this thing?"

"No idea but we're about to find what––?!"

Gin asks as Haiji shrugged before seeing the name *'Ryūren' scribbled on the paper and sensing a faint trace of spiritual energy that it was emitting from it but quickly ignited itself prompting him to drop it as it dies away like a flower withers into nothingness.

"Ouch!"

Haiji hissed as Gin tosses a medical kit over to Haiji fast before thinking back to Sasha's wounds for a moment and sighed heavily.

"Looks like we'll have to handle this one ourselves, that Byakuren guy was able to drive Kanaka over the edge last night, which I remind you is no easy task or anything."

"Oh no, don't get me started, I want no part of whatever scheme you're coming with. Remember the last time you took 'matters into your own hands'?"

"Oh c'mon, if we hand this guy and his little buddies early in the game, we'll be able to enjoy our vacation and also, think how happy Sasha-chan will be..."

"'How happy'?"

Gin said as Haiji protested quickly, reminding Gin of what happen nearly a year ago before Gin persuaded him otherwise as he wraps his arm around Haiji's shoulder as the latter questions curiously as the thought of Sasha praising him with affection was enough for him to have a nosebleed, completely oblivious to Gin's triumphant smirk.

"'[And with that, I win.]' So do you say?"

"... ... …"

Gin thought deviously before he asks smoothly for Haiji's answer as impending silence as Haiji's shoulders trembled visibly until finally he and Gin shook on it.

"I'll do it! But, let me tell say this on Kanaka's behalf: No funny business. Unlike Saizō, I'm not exactly KEEN on sending the Ayashi back 200 years because of you, Gin..."

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya loud and clear. Geez, since when did you became such a stick in the mud?"

"Right after Sasha performed the *Seoi Nage on your ass for 'flirting' with her back when she was a 3rd year in Junior High."

Haiji said before warning Gin before the former retorted of how Sasha flipped the playboy over her shoulder during junior high much to the werewolf's embarrassment as he takes out his camera and surveys the landscape until he sees a familiar figure inside the shaded sanctity of the forest.

"Sorry Haiji, but there's been a slight change in plans! Later, dude~!"

"Whoa, wait–– What?! As I thought, he really is a dog. Hey, wait up you moronic mutt!"

Gin smirks as he heads off into the direction of the light as Haiji gaped and scowled in annoyance before calling after his friend/rival and chasing him across the beach.

* * *

 **~(In the meantime over in Umiyuri Market/Shopping District)~**

Around the same time, Sasha scans through the landscape in awe as she sees smiles of happiness donning the people's faces, unaware that some of the on-lookers caught a glimpse at the nōshishoku-haired girl's appearance and averted their gaze hastily.

"So even here, there are some people who are wary and curious of foreigners, huh? If you think about logically, it does make sense..."

Sasha said amusingly as she remembers the times of becoming the center of attention before softening her eyes in bitterness, in which did not go unnoticed by Marin as she looks over to the former before asking what she meant.

"What makes you say that, Kanaka-san?"

Marin asks before Sasha absentmindedly touches her hair and remembers the times of being looked down by others while Inu and San senses her distress and answered Marin's question for the young nōshishoku-haired girl.

"[For the past 17 years, Sacchan had been accused of dying her hair and having colored contacts despite the fact telling everyone that she's of foreign descent.]"

San wrote down her answer as she remembers how people ridiculed her young *imōto-figure up to Jr. high before the latter had enough of their shenanigans one day.

"During that time, Sacchan had to knocked some sense into them, both verbally and physically speaking."

Inu explains as she remembers how Sasha beats the crap out of her classmates while the former remembered an incident that had happened sometime during the semester.

"There was this one time back in Jr. High, a 3rd year came waltzing into the classroom one day and challenged her to a fight, in which ended in 9 seconds or so."

"[After that, he was later sent to the Annex for 3 cracked ribs and mild shoulder dislocation. The one thing that Sacchan's most notorious for is... Uh, h-how should I say this...?]"

"Simply put, according to 'some' people, I'm 'temperament-prone'."

San wrote about what happen to the said 3rd year afterwards before Sasha summed it up as Marin was left stunned before she and the girls looks over at the former wryly.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, most of it was just exaggerations–– Alright fine, it was the only way to get my point across..."

Embarrassed, Sasha chuckles and tries to lighten up the situation but gave up as they resumed their shopping until Marin gave Sasha and Inu the chance to explore the rest of Umiyuri.

"Are you sure you don't want us to accompany you two? Especially since what happen last night?"

"Don't worry, everything is going to be OK."

Sasha said as she reassures Marin and San as they sees each other off and went their separate ways until the girls entered the town square and sees the fabric shop as its merchandise steals Sasha's attention before...

 **CRASHED** **!**

"Ho ho, talk about 'expect things where you least expect it'... Hey *Ryūsei-heichō, you've gotta see this!"

Said an young man with shagged bleach-blond hair with storm-grey eyes – He wore a kimono-style sleeveless blue shirt with matching jeans along with black sneakers – He gestures over to his superior as he sets down his book, *'Bakumatsu-jidai no Monogatari', on the windowsill and walks over to the young man's position and looks over at the center of the town square.

"*Yūnagi-kun, call for *Senri-danchō and tell him that the target is on the move."

The man said as he instructs Yūnagi with orders and makes his way out the door – It was a young man of early thirties with light sky-blue short hair styled in a undercut and glacier-blue eyes – He wore an pale-gray shirt with black pants and matching shoes – He shields his eyes from the blaring sun and felt a change in the wind, closing his eyes and expanding all his senses as it detects 3 familiar presences and pinpointing their separate locations respectively before the scene soon switches over to the south gate.

"Masayuki-sama, what's wrong?"

Kojūrō asked as he looks over to Masayuki, who felt an chilled spike of electricity surged through his spine as an envisage flashed before his eyes.

"Masayuki-sama?"

"... ... …"

The sky was dyed in eerie shade of indigo-purple with hints of fiery-blue colors before the scene changes and reveals a shadowed silhouette standing above the wreckage as her hair flutters in the wind like a flickering flame before it changes from dark rondo-purple to ebony-black as a pair of ember-green eyes looks back at him, snapping Masayuki out of it.

"The wind is changing... Kojūrō, we need to hurry."

Masayuki said cryptically, causing the two men to pick up the pace as they entered the seaside town before the scene changes back to Ryūsei as he smiled light before disappearing into the forest like a mirage in the desert.

* * *

Authoress: And **SCENE**! So then, can you all guess who this young man is?

Tune in next chapter to find out! (And once again I would like to thank Inu-senpai1 for adding her to the story!)


	6. VI

Authoress: Hello again, my readers! So dawns the coming of my 6th chapter and the dawning of our new guest star.

And P.S., I own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor anything else that will be viewed here except for the ones that have this symbol (*). The ones that have this symbol (**) are the ones that my pals from D.A and I have created.

\- "'[...]'"/"[]" are for thought and whispering.

\- **bold/italic is for Voice Over.

\- Capitalized Typing are for English Pronunciation.

Now... ONWARD WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!

* * *

 **Chapter VI: 6** **th** **Step in Feeling the Transient Familial Love and Signaling** **the Start of** **the Ogre's Game**

* * *

 **~(Flashback – Shinrinmura Western Border,** * **Ryūōbashi – 5 years ago)~**

 _**_ ** _I was born and raised in_ _a_ _village hidden deep in the mountain-forest range of the Izu Peninsula..._**

 _The summer breeze washes over the Shizuoka_ _Prefecture as birds chirps high in the sky as the sunlight beams through the leaves like light shining on the water as idle chatter broke the forest silence._

 _"_ _Come and these wonderful works of arts!_ _"_

 _"_ _Come on down and taste Grandmother Aoi's home-baked bread!_ _"_

 _Merchants shouts out their attractions_ _as children skipped stones across the_ _dragon-like_ _river while their mothers watches over them_ _and_ _their fathers were bargaining with traders_ _until the scene changes to a huddled corner where a_ _divination was taking place_ _._

 _"It would appear that your luck with men will take a turn for the worse unless you wear the color passionate red."_

 _Replied *Kagurazaka Isara – A young woman with sky-blue waist-length hair and glacier-blue eyes - She wore an alice-blue sleeved shirt underneath a camellia-white dress followed by ebony-black boots - As she sees the outcome of her customer's reading and advised her to wear something to increase her luck._

 **_Aside for_ _being renowned_ _for_ _its population of *Junketsuyō/Hanyō descent but_ _it's also known as_ _the 1_ _st_ _Yōkai Village to_ _ever_ _work in the international trading business._**

 _"Really you mean it, *Isara-sama!?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Yahoo~~!."_

 _The girl immediately bought a bulk of red clothes over at the other stall,_ _much to Isara's surprise until_ _she_ _sets her sights on slightly awed 3-year-old Sasha, of whom quickly hid behind Sakaru's leg after she was discovered, Isara giggled and looked at the readings while Sasha tilts her head curiously before Isara smiled and replied in a cryptic manner._

 _"5 years from now, you will have a casual encounter with an *haishimofuri-haired young man inside a town of the Ocean Lily..."_

 _* **...Is what she said and all but... She failed to mentioned that that so-called 'casual encounter' would have such an impact** **on me** **5 years later...**_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present Time)~**

"Sasha-chan!"

Inu exclaimed as she saw Sasha laying down on the ground along with the man in question as they both let out painful groans while struggling to sit up due to the impending dizziness of the crash.

"Yeah, I'm gonna feel that tomorrow..."

"Hey girl, you OK?"

"O-Ow, Ow, Ouch... I-I'm fine, Inu-chan but more importantly..."

Sasha grumbled painfully as Inu knelt down and gently steadied her fallen friend as the former squeaked in discomfort while touching her right forearm before looking over to the one who rammed into her – It was a young man with ash-gray hair tied into a ponytail and onyx-coloured eyes behind a pair of black rimmed-circular glasses in which were lopsided - He wore a low-collared elbow-sleeved white shirt followed by dark blue pants and matching open-toed sandals.

"No need to worry about, just a few bruises here and there but rather than me, are you okay miss?"

The man replied as he points out Sasha's injury as she looks from the man and down to her injured right forearm as it slowly began emitting pain.

"Huh? O-oh this... Nothing that a couple of pain-killers can't cure–– Ow!"

Sasha rasped in pain as she blushed in embarrassment, unaware that the man smiled nervously before seeing the girl's injury was beginning to blemish as he walks over to the young nōshishoku-haired girl and took up her forearm onto his lap.

"H-hey what're you––?!"

"Please calm down and try not to move."

Sasha asked before the man instructed her in a stern professional manner in which Sasha's cheeks was dusted with a light pink and stayed quiet as he takes a sharp breath as a bright teal-colored light enveloped his hand and pressed lightly against the injury as Sasha winces in pain.

"Please bear with it, it'll only be for a moment."

The man said as Sasha stood still until the pain dissolves while Sasha's complexion goes from lightly pale to its usual lightly-tanned color as Inu gasped in awe while the young man smiles knowingly.

"OK, I've healed both your brachialis and supinator, you'll no longer feel any more––?"

He said as Sasha inspects it herself by throwing punches in the air as if picking a fight with an unseen opponent much to Kabuto's and Inu's amusement.

"'[Hmm, not too bad... It's like something out of a movie...]' Thanks very much, my name's Sasha and this is my friend, Inuya."

"But most people call me 'Inu' for short."

Sasha thought as she introduced both Inu and herself to the young man as they bowed politely whereas the latter smiled and returned the bow.

"I'm Kabuto but I have to bring this man over to the authorities and return these items over to the hostel that I'm staying, now if you ladies would just excuse me."

Kabuto said as he turns away and tries to lift up the said thief when suddenly some of the weight was shifted evenly prompting him to look over to the side and saw Sasha supporting the unconscious thief's side.

"Well if anyone needs me, I'll be over at the Kaifū-ya and... *Try not to take took long, especially since he fits your 'Ideal Man' description, Sacchan*."

"'Aw shut it, Inu-chan!'"

Inu said before whispering playfully into Sasha's ear as she blushed hotly and retorted in a huff as Inu smiles and retreats back to the Inn while Sasha pouted before hearing a small puff of laughter as she glances over to Kabuto smiling until he cleared his throat.

"It's not too far from where we're standing really."

Kabuto said as he revealed that the location of the said hostel which turned out to be right around the corner that's not too far from where they're standing much to Sasha's disbelief while the clouds made their way to the little seaside town as it shadowed the buildings like a lampshade covering a light.

"'[Are you SERIOUS?]'"

"'[A child with so many different expressions–– Hm?]'"

Sasha thought as Kabuto thought before sensing an unknown presence from another building across the street before casting it aside and walked with Sasha as the clouds shifted before revealing Ryūsei as he praises the young man's keen senses until he walks away from the window and brings out his pocket-watch as he opens it and sees the time.

"'[Not many people would've sense my presence so easily but it's difficult for me to go any further. So, the best course right now is to report back. Not too bad considering the fact that it's been only a few hours since this mission had started but more importantly...]'"

Ryūsei thought before resuming his trek up the attic until he comes across a wooden hatchet in between the banisters and opens it as it lets the cool summer breeze inside the loft before sensing the signs of an storm over at the sea as the wind grew a bit cooler due to the weather is on the verge of changing in temperature.

* * *

 **~(30 minutes Later)~**

Meanwhile at the same time, a sigh was heard as it revealed to be a tired Sasha as she makes her way back to the Kaifū-ya along with Kabuto, who volunteers to keep her company, as they made a turn on the right-hand corner and and reentered the town square as Kabuto tries to cheer up the latter.

"Ugh~ How embarrassing... '[To think that *Obā-san would get the wrong idea... Just what PART indicates that Kabuto-kun and I were on a D-D-DATE...]'"

"It's quite alright, Kanaka-san. I mean, a lot of people would often mistake a guy and girl together and all."

"Be that as it may... '[Come to think of it, I hadn't had a boyfriend for the past 17 years...]'"

Sasha said and thinks back to earlier as Kabuto laughed nervously while walking back to the town square as the former herself has never been on a date for the past 17 years.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 30 minutes earlier)~**

 _After turning the ruffian over to the authorities, Kabuto and Sasha soon made their way to the inn that Kabuto had mentioned moments prior as they came across the co-owner, waiting at the entrance of the said hostel._

 _"I'm most terribly sorry for the inconvenience, young man... To interrupt your date with your young lady friend too..."_

 _Said the elderly woman looking no more than seventy at best while the statement catches the attention of Sasha and Kabuto respectively as the two individuals blushed and denied the claim altogether._

 _"'Lady friend'? Oh no, ma'am; she's not my girlfriend or anything."_

 _"Y-yeah."_

 _"Oh I'm terribly sorry but thank you both so much again for bringing back our savings."_

 _The elderly innkeeper said as she explains that ever since her husband's back gave out, business has been booming as of late with paying for the medical treatment and laying off workers much to the couple's dismay._

 _"That's rather unfortunate..."_

 _Sasha looks over to the couple's bedroom with concern as Kabuto whispered quietly while remembering a brief image of an orphanage as he helps the old woman in opening an pill bottle and hands over the correct dosage to the latter along with a glass of water._

 _"I know but there's nothing we can do... If only I was_ _10 years_ _younger, I can do something about it but..."_

 _The women said before getting lost in thought as Sasha thinks back to an old situation similar before getting up from her chair and walked over to the broom closet, much to Kabuto's surprise._

 _"If it's all right, then perhaps I can lend you a hand..."_

 _"Huh, oh no please, that's not really necessary."_

 _"It's quite all right. Back when I was a kid, someone once told me that 'To help others is another way_ _of_ _help_ _ing_ _yourself', right Obā-san?"_

 _Sasha said as the innkeeper whose eyes widened with realization of the girl's intention and smiled softly as Kabuto smiled at Sasha's willfulness before the former took advantage of the situation and secretly pulled him over to the kitchen like how a leaf is when it's being pulled by the wind upon a mid-spring day._

 _"And he also told me this other saying too: 'A man who does not work shall not eat.', nē; Kabuto-kun?"_

 _"That's right––?! Wait, what?!"_

 _"Oh, it's nice to be young again."_

 _Sasha said as Kabuto agrees understandingly before he gasped in shock while the elderly woman giggled as Sasha smiled happily as she tugged on Kabuto's arm and pulled him over to the doorway leading into the kitchen._

 _"It's not funny, ma'am!"_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present Time)~**

Kabuto frowned unpleasantly at the memory as Sasha walks over to a food stand selling *Okonomiyaki for half a price as the latter holds down the urge to smile as Sasha bought a *furoshiki-covered box containing two *bentō over to Kabuto.

"Oh no, that's not necessary––?! *GROWL*"

But before he can even decline, Kabuto's stomach growled unexpectedly loud enough for Sasha to hear as his face flushed with a light tint of embarrassment while Sasha smiled softly as she brings up the top bentō and expresses her thanks for his assistance earlier.

"Here, it's thanks for lending me a hand for that Obā-san."

"'[Ah, might as well take up on her kind offer...]' *Otsukare-sama, Kanaka-san."

"Back when I was a kid, my mother said that 'food tastes better when good friends come together'––?!"

Kabuto thought softly as he relieves Sasha of the second bento and recites an old saying before seeing a young couple were protecting two children from an drunkard - It was a lightly tan-skinned tall young man with messy dark rondo-purple chin-length hair and jaw-length bangs framing his face - He wore a navy-blue tank-top followed by blackish-blue jeans along with calf-length brown boots – As he protects the child behind him from the man's wrath and tries to calm the latter down.

"Now, now; let's just talk about this..."

The young man reasoned with the drunkard whereas the one on the left was a fair-skinned young woman with bellflower-blue waist-length hair and ocean-blue eyes - She wore an iris-blue sleeveless kimono shirt tied with a shawl-like sapphire-blue sash tied into a brocade along with majorelle-blue pants and wedged flats.

"Makoto, look after the little ones..."

"'['Makoto'? As in... Makoto-nēchan?]'"

Sasha thought as her eyes widened before turning her head to see the man and the woman more clearly to confirm her suspicion as if it was right on schedule, the intoxicated man pulled out a dagger and charged at the young man only to be stopped by the latter who disarmed the weapon and flipped him over his right shoulder.

"Hey what the––?!"

The young man's eyes are now made clear as it revealed to be a handsome piercing pair of deep navy-blue eyes due to the latter's sunglasses being dropped from the force of momentum.

 **THUMP!**

"Now now, let's not act too rashly, sir..."

He said as he pins the Yakuza down effortlessly before motioning Kabuto to call the local authorities thus pleasing the crowd as the authorities thanked both men when suddenly the mysterious woman appears and calls out to the two.

"You've been wonderful help, especially since you've kept my granddau–– I mean, my younger sister company."

"It's so fantastic to see you guys again after 5 years, *Makoto-nēchan, *Sakaru-nīchan!"

Sasha said as she hugged Makoto in happiness and smiles non-stop while Sakaru joined in the fun unbeknownst of the suspicious stare that Kabuto is emitting.

* * *

 **~(Minutes later - Somewhere along the path en route to** **the** **Kaifū-ya)~**

"How's everyone back home been faring? Is Mom doing well? What about Dad?"

Sasha asked as questions were shot one after another while Kabuto retreated back due to the fact that there was no opening to intervened.

"Ha ha, one at a time now, Sacchan."

Makoto smiled as she saw how Sasha simmered down with the former clearing her throat of irregularities, Makoto then answers each question one by one.

"Alright, I've answered your questions now you answer mine."

Makoto asks as Sasha shudders in fear and panics silently before the latter asks in a peering tone as the girl squeaked in fear.

"Sasha?"

Makoto, now getting suspicious of the behavior, looms over Sasha and smiles all angelic-like as the latter was on the verge of giving in until she was rescued by Sakaru.

"Now now, Makoto; let's not indulge this now. I'm pretty sure that Sasha will have loads to talk about her experiences at Yōkai Gakuen over lunch, isn't that so; Sasha-chan?"

Sakaru said as he pacified the tension between the two, much to Sasha's relief before she glances over to where Kabuto silently chuckles to himself and smirks lightly as he sends Sasha a message with his eyes.

"'[Nice going, kid]'"

Sasha, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the haishimofuri-haired man, pouted and mouthed a single syllable.

"'Mō~!'"

After grabbing some refreshments and catching up, Sasha went on ahead to the inn in excitement as Makoto goes after her while leaving the men behind as they introduced themselves to each other.

"I forgot to introduce myself but my name is *Nakate Sakaru, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto."

Sakaru said as he extends his right hand over to Kabuto as the haishimofuri-haired boy returned the gesture while Sakaru smiles and watches Sasha's retreated figure.

"I haven't seen Sasha smile like that in years... '[Not since that day...]'"

Sakaru said as he remarks of not seeing Sasha smile so happily in years ever since she enrolled into Yōkai Gakuen before he started reminiscing about the past.

* * *

 **~(6 Years ago – Somewhere along the Shinrinmura pathway)~**

 _The sounds of birds chirping high into the trees and the cicadas skittering from the background as the sunlight beams through the leaves as the wind bends them to its will as silence filled the forest saved for the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves gently above the ground as the wind roared overhead the treetops._

 _*Tak, tak, tak...*_

 _If one was to go any further into the forest then you find an old-fashioned village of Romanian-Japanese architecture as the grounds were filled with flower hedges as the rivers flows through small channels running underneath an tiny bridge._

 _"Hello there, Sakaru-kun!"_

 _The inhabitants cried out their greetings to a young Sakaru Nakate, looking no different than he is currently, but with a few alterations to his outfit – It was a sleeveless navy-blue shirt underneath a light-grey sleeved detached shirt followed by ankle-length dark blue jeans along with calf-length charcoal-black boots._

 _"Morning!"_

 _He said as he made his way towards a two-story house with combinations of the Japanese *machiya structure, Romanian rural designs and suburban homely shades of chalk-white and sky-blue – As he approached the entrance halfway, the red-mahogany panel door suddenly flew outward as_ _a blur of dark rondo-purple flew itself at Sakaru and hugged his waist, giggling almost incessantly._

 _"*Okaeri, Sakaru-onīchan!"_

 _Said an young 4-year-old Sasha – She wore a midnight-blue/black pleated-checkered dress with an starlight-gray long-sleeved shirt followed by pale brown-colored stockings and dusty-white tennis shoes – Sakaru lifted Sasha up and onto his right shoulder as soon as she relieved herself from hugging him._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

Sakaru smiles fondly at the memory before a young boy with a familiar hair colour suddenly bumps into the latter and startles Kabuto as he takes a hold of the boy's hand while Sakaru looks down and saw the young boy for the first time.

"'[This boy...?!]'"

"You see Midori, this is what happens when you run off too quickly."

Sakaru thought suspiciously as a voice calls out to Midori while inducing both Kabuto and Sakaru to look from the former and saw a breathless Makkuro coming as Sakaru's eyes slightly flickered, which did not go unnoticed by Kabuto as he casts a secret glance.

"I'm terribly sorry for this. Midori is quite the rambunctious child. By the way, I'm Mikazuki Makkuro; pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh no, there's really no need to apologize. My name is Nakate Sakaru."

Makkuro said as Midori stares at him in disbelief while Sakaru extended his hand to greet him while reassuring the two as he and Makkuro exchanged pleasantries while Kabuto bowed politely and returned the gesture.

"And my name is Yakushi Kabuto, pleased to meet the both of you, Mikazuki-san, Midori-kun."

Kabuto said as he introduced himself to the two young men unaware of the older man widened his eyes in shock as he quickly covers his expression with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine. As much as I hate to come and go but I'm afraid that Midori and I have some business to attend to––?!"

"Sakaru-nīsan, Kabuto-kun! Where are you?"

Makkuro said as he bid farewell before he was interrupted by Sasha coming over while Kabuto secretly looked back to the two men, vanishing without a trace.

"Ah-ha, finally found you guys! Seriously, I was wondering of why it was so quiet––?! Kabuto-san, what is it? Is something wrong?"

Sasha said until she saw Kabuto's expression before Kabuto waved it off as they resumed their trek to the Kaifū-ya, unaware that both Makkuro and Midori had retreated to the alley.

"'[The kid's more sharper than I give him credit for... Yakushi Kabuto... Now, where have I heard that name before?]'"

"[In local news, there is to be a mild typhoon today at 5:30 pm today. All residents are to stay indoors - I repeat, all residents are to stay––?!]"

Makkuro thought impressively as he listens in on the weather forecast coming from the radio stationed inside an post office as Midori briefly takes off his sunglasses to see a better view of Sasha before she disappears out of sight.

"Shuryō––?!"

"Kikuto, Korito!"

Midori said semi-excitedly as the latter widened his eyes as the former made a tweeting sound as he senses two incoming presences appearing deep within the alleyway.

"Shuryō, you're not serious about those two being our back-up––?!"

"According to the client, the girl isn't your average female... She could easily surpass Lady Tsunade of Konohagakure in terms of strength, if she desires it."

Midori asks anxiously only to be rebuffed by Makkuro's straight reply before shocking the young boy as two shadowed figures appeared from behind Makkuro.

"Hai, Mikazuki-Shuryō?"

The first on the scene was *Kikuto Rikki - A tall young man with crimson-red hair and violet-blue eyes - He wore an black shirt followed by a sleeved dark gray hoodie with navy-blue jeans along with calf-length boots.

"You know, I was wondering why you had us on standby, Mikazuki-Shuryō and Midori-chan."

The second was *Korito Rikki - Another young man who, like his older brother, has crimson-red hair but a darker shade and honey-brown eyes - He wore an long-sleeved shirt followed by a navy-blue hoodie with matching jeans along with shin-length boots – Asked curiously before Midori rolls his eyes and summons his hawk once again with his whistle.

"And with that done, it's time to start the job so you guys in?"

Makkuro smiled nonchalantly while Korito scoffs a laugh as he pats Midori's head and ruffles it in an affectionate way much to the annoyance of the latter himself.

"Are you kidding, with 500,000,000 ryō and a chance of living life in luxury hanging on the line, how can I refuse?"

Korito said, brimming with confidence as Kikuto sighs in annoyance before he and the others took off into a sprint from the alley and into the street, disappearing into the fog as the clouds turns into light gray as raindrops stained the ground until a shadowed figure crept over the wall from the opposite side of the street and saw the retreating figures of the Kurorōga while taking shelter from the rain shower as he lets out a lone whistle before going silent.

"Tch, it's bad enough that we have to worry about one thing but now we have to worry about the Kurorōga too? Man, this sucks..."

"Now this is the first, almost never do I get to see you this worried about anything before... Is something on your mind, Ryūsei?"

Ryūsei said scowling as a voice calls out to him and looks over to his superior sitting on a couch before remembering the Kurorōga's key figures – It was a tall young man with short mahogany-red hair as the tips gently grazed his shoulders and autumn-plum eyes – He wore a form-fitting long-sleeved black shirt followed by comfortable-fitted jeans with ankle-length black boots.

"Only that the *'Fūō no Renkinjutsu-shi' and the *'San'nō' of the Kurorōga are in for a surprise once they get to the Kaifū-ya. *Chizakura-san, are you sure about this? From my report, Sasha-chan–– I mean, Sasha Kanaka was trained by Tōhō Fuhai and has inherited his 'emotion'––?!"

"Only if those closest to her are harmed in any way... Furthermore, it's essential that we must have the girl as our ally before those 'guys' get to her first."

Ryūsei said before he corrected himself midway and warned how dangerous Sasha can be while Chizakura reassures him confidently.

"Well, if you plan on striking a deal, then why are you going to such lengths as to disguise yourself as the 'Shujinkō'?"

Chizakura said as Ryūsei argued the young man's intention while their conversation was being watched by Ascella, who hid herself behind the wall.

"Needless to say, it's suicide to confront the girl without a trump card in mind and it'll certainly won't do us no good if we force her hand... The offer to provide the necessary tools for this task will be our bargaining chip... It's true that by doing this, there will be grisly repercussions once the girl finds out the TRUE reason behind my actions."

Chizakura said as he predicts the outcome of the act if Sasha were to find out as Ryūsei became speechless before Chizakura walks over to the barricaded window.

"And besides... Once she overcomes the thing that she fears the most, she'll no longer have the reason to hesitate. Wouldn't you say, little miss *Kusa-chan?"

Chizakura asks the startled Ascella for her opinion as Ryūsei immediately fall into battle stance as he released an small output of his yōki into the air before Ascella retreated into the shadows before Ryūsei sighed and dropped his stance as he turns back to Chizakura, smiling lightly at the scene, much to Ryūsei's chagrin and expresses his concern deadpannedly.

"You know, sometimes I often worry about you Chizakura-san."

* * *

Authoress: **FINALLY DONE WITH THE SIXTH CHAPTER**! Now, it's on with the 7th!

See you in the next chapter!

And more will be revealed in the A/N chapter!

So until then, Mata nē!


	7. VII

Authoress: Once again, I would like to thank my readers for reviewing the story, 'Shinobi Journalist ~Book of Summer~'. Sorry if it took so long to complete it! On with the show! And in case you forgot: **Bold/Italic are the voice over,"'[... ... ...]'" are for thoughts.

* * *

 **Chapter 7:** **7** **th** **Step into** **Setting off** **a** **Setback** **of an Opposing Design** **and** **Designating** **an Diversion** **through** **Astute** **Deception**

* * *

 **~(** **Meanwhile...** **)~**

The clouds soon turned to light gray color as the rain begins to poured down onto the town as a hooded figure took shelter in a watchtower on the south side of the town from the sudden storm.

"Yeesh, talk about downpour... Luckily I managed to find this place beforehand or otherwise I would've been in trouble."

The man said as he takes off his cloak before turning on the room's lantern and settled himself on the couch until he winces in discomfort due to the pain in his left shoulder as it revealed to be the same one from early this morning - He wore a black short-sleeved hoodie along with dark blue jeans and black sneakers.

"Of all things, it just had to rain..."

He said while trying to fight the urge to drift into sleep as the rain goes on and on from outside the room as it eventually lulls him to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

 **~(** **Elsewhere, over at the Kawamoto-ya** **)~**

The rain continues to pour as the sound of shops closed their doors and locked them tight as the wind picks up and rattles the windows as if someone was rapping against the glass while everyone residing the Kawamoto-ya were scurrying left, right and center inside as a means of preparing for the upcoming typhoon.

"Ah, Sasha-san, make sure you reinforced the entrance with more sandbags––?! Masaki-kun, don't forget to tighten down the doors as tight as you can!"

"Hai!"

Marin said as Sasha hollered out and placed a few more sandbags against the wooden door while instructing Masaki to tighten down the shutters over at the patio as the clouds rumbled again as Kurumu sighed from the rooms and complained how the rainstorm had ruined her plans for today's events.

"Aw man, and just when the weather was getting nice! I even got a new swimsuit too––?!"

"Uwah~ Rubi-san, yours is barely more than a string!"

Voices of the girls had ranged out one after another from downstairs in the living room as the clouds rumbled above their heads unaware of a certain spectacled individual was frowning irritably as he walks up the stairs to the 2nd floor.

"'[Tch, not only am I late in reporting back to Orochimaru-sama but I have to wait out the storm, ugh talk about bad timing.]'"

Kabuto thought bitterly as he recalls of what had happen beforehand before seeing Sasha sitting against the wall and closed her eyes slightly as she rethinks about what had transpired 3 minutes ago.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 3 minutes ago)~**

 _The sky begins to rumble as the cloud pattern began to shift as the wind becomes restless while a number of shops starts closing up for today due to the incoming storm._

 _"Sasha-chan, what is it?"_

 _Makoto asks_ _curiously as_ _she and Sasha_ _resume_ _d_ _their way towards the Kawamoto-ya_ _after they heard the typhoon announcement from earlier_ _._

 _"Uh no, it's... It's nothing..."_

 _"*Pisicuţă, the only times when you_ _act all withdrawn_ _is when you have something that you can't even tell Sakaru... Or am I wrong?"_

 _Sasha said before Makoto addresses her by the latter's 'affectionate' nickname and recalled the times of how Sasha acts whenever she has something on her mind that she can't even bring herself to ask Sakaru._

 _"N-no, you're not wrong; *Nē..."_

 _"Now tell me, what's on your mind."_

 _Sasha grimaced at Makoto's claim and muttered softly as Makoto smiles triumphantly and asks the young nōshishoku-haired girl to come clean._

 _"... ... ... Well,_ _it's_ _just_ _hypothetically, but have you ever encountered an opponent who might be on the same level as you... Or maybe, a bit higher?"_

 _Sasha stayed silent for a minute before asking Makoto of what it was like when going up against anyone similar to Byakuren as Makoto closed her eyes in remembrance and sees the silhouette of a blurred figure before opening them again with a sober expression as she looks over to an anticipating Sasha._

 _"Sorry, can't say that I have..."_

 _"It's OK, thanks for hearing me out."_

 _Makoto said as Sasha lets out a sigh and reassured her older sister before_ _they_ _resumed their way to Kawamoto-ya unaware that their conversation was_ _over_ _heard by a carefully concealed Kabuto._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

Sasha groans exasperatedly and runs her fingers through her hair unaware of the fact that she was being watched by an unsuspecting Kabuto, resting from behind the wall.

"'[... ... ...]' Is something on your mind, Kanaka-san?"

Kabuto stayed silent for a brief minute before emerging from his hiding spot and asked an unexpected Sasha as she jolts in surprise and gets up from the floor with a faint blush donning her cheeks.

"N-no, not really... '[It's probably be best if I keep this sort of thing myself...]' I-I should probably go and check up on my group..."

Sasha said before silently making a decision as Kabuto narrowed suspiciously before hearing footsteps coming from the end of the hallway as it revealed to be Fāng-Fāng as he stops momentarily and catches his breath before Sasha address to the young 1st year.

"Fāng-Fāng, what's wrong?"

"Huh? O-oh, Kanaka-sempai... Er... Have you seen Gin-sempai and Haiji-sempai on your way back from your shopping by any chance?"

Fāng-Fāng, blushing at the sight of Sasha being alone with another guy aside from her *osananajimi, snapped out of his stupor and asks Sasha for Haiji's and Gin's whereabouts.

"No, can't say that I have... '[In terms of free time usage, Haiji spends his very carefully unlike Gin...]'... … ... Just where could they be?"

Sasha said as she thought about the older males' antics before she looked up to the storm-colored sky with a concerned expression as the window was beginning to stained with raindrops.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile over at *Yurika's Peak)~**

Thunder ranged throughout the sky as its velocity reverberated in the air, causing the wild *Ajisai and the trees to tremble from the storm as the rain became more profound as a deep intake of breath was heard before as a splash was heard.

"Man, here I was hoping of meeting fair-skinned golden-haired beauty like 'Snow White' or somethin' like that?"

Said a voice grace with a hint of dejection and a distinctive accent as the sky crackled with lightning and the rain poured down at a alarming rate as vapor-like mist rises from the ground.

"That would be 'Rapunzel', Morioka-kun... I am the Captain of the Rokkagumi's 2nd Unit: I am known as 'Shakuren'."

A voice comes out of nowhere while Gin's pupils turned into slits as he looks over to his right and saw the man as described by Sasha.

"'[So he's the one that stopped the fight...]' Ah well, I'm not exactly knowledgeable like Sacchan when it comes to folktales but I've been itchin' to meet you 'Rokkagumi' boys for 'takin' care' of my *kōhai last night––?!"

"It appears that the rumors concerning your treatment to women are indeed true... Your flirting was as incessant as a lovesick hound's but becomes brotherly the next..."

Gin said haughtily as Shakuren remarked Gin's behavior towards other girls and Sasha respectively as the latter sweat-dropped as he blushes a light tinge of pink before regaining his composure again.

"But isn't that the same for you guys? Challenge a pair of high schoolers and then make a strategic withdraw the next...?"

Gin asks as the rain continued to pour as Shakuren rests his hand onto his kodachi and slowly positioned himself into his fighting stance, prompting Gin to do the same.

"Looks like the only way for me to find out... Is to get you to talk."

Gin said as the clouds rumbled again before the thunder and lightning clashed together, illuminating the landscape in a flash of pure white.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile...)~**

Lightning flashed brightly as it crackled with enough force that can scare anyone into submission except for a certain group who dismissed it without a single care in the world.

"Oh man, it's really raining cats and dogs out there."

Said *Akagusa Yūgure - A young 18-year-old boy with dark auburn-red hair worn unkempt as his fringe obscures his bright amber-brown eyes - He wore a blackish-green tank-top with above elbow-length bluish-teal shirt followed by blackish-scarlet boot cut-length jeans and ivory-white armbands - As he looks away from his book and over to the raindrop-ridden window as his friend recalls the times of rain back in Shinrinmura.

"Come to think of it, we often get rainstorms almost all the time back at Shinrinmura, didn't we?"

Asked *Nakamura Shizuku - A young 17-year-old boy with dark redwood hair accented with rosewood-red highlights as his bangs were held back with a hairclip which revealed his feldgrau-green eyes - He wore a sky-blue sleeved shirt underneath a sleeveless gray hoodie followed by mahogany-brown shin-length capris – He then proceeded to reminisce about having rainstorms back in Shinrinmura before Sasha and the others had enrolled themselves to Yōkai Gakuen.

"And it looks like it's not gonna let up any time soon. According to the news, it'll keep on raining until midnight tonight."

"Yeah... '[But even so, it's practically ominous...]'"

Yūgure said as the rainfall grew louder with each passing downpour as the its beats against the window glass like droplets on the panes before the sky rumbled again as the wind caused a little of debris flying into the air and thinking about what had transpired over a minute ago.

* * *

 **~(Flashback –** **3 hours ago** **)~**

 _After news of the rainstorm was heard, Makoto and Sasha resumed their way back to the_ _Kawamoto-ya_ _when suddenly, they_ _were greeted by_ _Amatsuki Tatsuki – A young man with red-violet hair and purple-plum eyes – He wore a formed-fitting black tanktop with a blue short-sleeved hoodie followed by pine-green shorts and white tennis shoes - He said_ _happily_ _before he was greeted with a_ _sock_ _to the stomach by a_ _wicked-fast_ _Sasha._

 _"Oh wow_ _~~!_ _Congrats Tatsuki, you've finally upgraded your muscles."_

 _"A-aw shut it, Y-_ _Y_ _ūki..."_

 _The second was_ _In'getsu_ _Yūki – A young girl with icy-white hair tied in a braid leans – She wore a turtleneck-style blackish blue undershirt with a sleeveless sweatshirt along with reddish-brown jeans followed by light blue socks and tennis shoes - She said sarcastically with a bored look as the *s_ _ekishishoku-haired boy rasps in pain._

 _"Hi, what's up?"_

 _"Hisashiburi, *Ma_ _kk_ _an, Sacchan!"_

 _Said_ _Yūgure_ _and Shizuku as they greeted the two women happily though it was short-lived due Sasha had greeted them with a_ _two blows_ _to the stomach a_ _s_ _she did with_ _Tatsuki._

 _"OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"_

 _"I told you guys multiple times already! Quit STUDYING at the very LAST MINUTE!"_

 _Yūgure_ _and Shizuku cried out in pain and asked their nōshishoku-haired friend, only for it to be rebuffed by Sasha's lectur_ _es_ _as Makoto and Yūki_ _continued to look on._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback)~**

Sasha frowns unpleasantly as she momentarily recalls earlier while walking from the toilet and into the hallway before seeing how the typhoon was raging outside the inn.

"This could be just the miserable weather but... '[Why do I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen...?]'"

Sasha muttered as she thinks about the typhoon being a coincidence as she continues to walk back to the room before lightning flashes brilliantly, startling her in the process as she ducks down to the floor and covers her ears in discomfort due to the storm.

"D'wah! Holy crap, that scared me––?!"

Sasha yelped in shock before she saw the window was riddled with cracks, much like a spider's web as it disturbed her ominously.

diverted her gaze over to a motionless Kabuto standing a few meters ahead of her in the hallway as he stares off into sky with a nostalgic faraway look visible in his onyx-coloured eyes before Sasha walks up to him carefully.

"Um, Kabuto-san?"

Sasha's voice immediately snaps Kabuto out of his thoughts as he pulls away from the window and looked over to the nōshishoku-haired girl as his eyes widened in surprise as he quickly regains his composure.

"Hm? Oh, Kanaka-san, is there something you need?"

"Uh no, it's just that...'[What're you doing, you idiot?! Say something!]' Is there something wrong? You looked as though you've got something on your mind."

Kabuto asked Sasha as she was jolted out of surprise before silently berates herself for stuttering, unaware of Kabuto widened his eyes in shock before going silent again as the rainfall continues to fall.

"Huh? '[Do I really look like I have something on my mind? Hardly anyone says that to me...]'"

"'[D-did I say something I shouldn't have? Should I have just minded my own business...?]'"

Kabuto thought questionably as he secretly looks over to Sasha, who grew concern for the latter's choice of words as the former smiles to himself in amusement before falling silent again as the two individuals stood in the hallway and heard the sound of the rain beating against the rooftop.

"… … … …"

"Do you not like the rain?"

After a few minutes of silence, Sasha was unable to withstand the silence any longer and hesitantly asked Kabuto if he hated the rain, to which he remained silent again as his face don a bewildered look before he softened his gaze and smiled lightly.

"… … Well, it's not like I hate it per se, but it kinda reminds me of how I used to be when growing up, that's all..."

Kabuto said as he remembers of how he was prior to his career as a Shinobi while Sasha looked over to him to see an nostalgic-like glint in his eyes before something had flickered quickly like a candlelight in the dark.

* * *

 **~(Minutes Later)~**

"All right, let's do a quick check on the doors, San-chan."

"[Un~!]"

Marin said as she and San was about to double-check about securing everything when they heard the doorbell ringed as they made their way over to the entryway and saw four young men enter the hall.

"Hi there, welcome! Are you and your companions staying for the night?"

Marin asks professionally as she and San had bowed politely to the incoming customers, which was revealed to be Makkuro, Midori, Kikuto and Korito.

"Just until the storm pass, ma'am."

Makkuro said kindly as he and the others were given towels by San to dry themselves off while Midori blushed lightly as he nervously adjusted his sunglasses properly.

"[Here are some towels for you.]"

"Thank you very much, *Ojō-chan."

San wrote on her notepad and showed it along with a couple of folded towels to Makkuro as the latter smiled and kindly took up the towels as he handed them over to his men.

"Would you like some refreshments?"

"Yes please."

Marin asks as she proposed to give out refreshments to the men as Makkuro accepted the offer politely, unaware that Korito was scowling a little as he remembers the man's habits when it comes to civilians.

"'[Che, it's always like this whenever we're on a job... Charismatically kind to women plus Midori...]'"

Korito thought annoyingly as he recounts the times of Makkuro being courteous with the opposite sex along with Midori whilst recounting the times where the former was being strictly stern with the men and his peers.

"'[…Yet severely strict with us and the men.]'"

"What was that, Korito-kun."

Makkuro whispers to Korito like a menacing force while Kikuto shook his head indifferently as he and Midori thanks San for the towels, who returned the gesture with a kind smile as Midori's face flushed red as Korito looks at him before he smiles mischievously as he placed his hand on the boy's head and leaned a bit forward to bow politely to San.

"We leave ourselves in your capable hands, Ojō-san."

Korito happily said as Midori sweat-dropped and swats Korito's hand away while secretly surveying the guest book through his shades before hearing footsteps coming from the hallway as his eyes widened to see Sasha emerge from the hall after her conversation with Kabuto.

"'[Oh man, I was so caught up with the conversation, that I nearly forgot about the window...]' Hey, Otonashi-nēsan––?! Hmm?"

Sasha thought nervously and was on the verge to ask San about the window before looking over to Midori and the others while Makkuro whispered something under his breath in which it didn't go unnoticed by Marin as her eyes widened in realization as if she was hit by an iron fist of harsh reality.

"[Target confirmed. Korito, Kikuto; you guys know what to do!]"

"'[I gotta do something before this gets out of hand!]'"

And like a scene playing in slow motion, Marin stealthy grabbed a broom behind her and moved to the side before she raised the broom like a staff and whacked Makkuro's face as it caused him to stumble back into the wall as it startled everyone in the process.

"What the Hell––?!"

Korito shouted as Marin spun around like a ballerina and whacked the former's face as Kikuto dodged the incoming attack by side-stepping to the right and swiftly sneaked up behind San before Sasha calls out to the young Innkeeper.

"Otonashi-nēsan!"

"That's as far as you can get, Kawamoto-san."

"Dammit...!"

Kikuto said as he holds San at knife-point as Marin narrowed her eyes in anger as Midori cleared his throat as a means of notifying his presence to the three individuals.

"Unless you want to risk the chances of your adoptive daughter's safety, I suggest that you surrender quietly and hand over the *'Aikūki."

"Oh hey, Midori-kun; didn't actually see you there."

Midori said as Kikuto looked over to the young *shidō-haired page and commented on how he didn't see the former due to his small stature while they were kept oblivious to Sasha's shocked expression once she heard the name 'Aikūki'.

"'[How the Hell do they know–– No, I shouldn't be bothered by the past right now! Otonashi-nēsan's safety is my top priority but what concerns me the most is that I can't figure out if they're Human or Ayashi.]'"

Sasha thought about how the Kurorōga managed to find out classified information regarding to the former but discarded it out of concern for San's safety, unaware that Kabuto was waiting outside the staircase as he observes the ordeal as he narrowed his eyes in anticipation before San silently mouthed Morse Code over to Marin (via lip-reading).

"'[Marin-san, once the boy gets in earshot, tell Sasha-chan not to move.]'"

"'[OK.]' …Kanaka-san, whatever you do, DON'T MOVE!"

As Midori reaches halfway into the hall, Marin shouted to Sasha as San casts her *'Song of Protection' on Sasha as the force caused Midori to be pushed back as he slams against Kikuto after San stepped on his foot and ducked before the scene had shocked both Makkuro and Kabuto as the former recovers from Marin's attack from earlier.

"'[That circular marking... Crap, she's a––?!]'"

Makkuro thought as he gazes the scene in shock once he regains his balance as he witness San's powers against Midori before Marin then steps out of the way for San to use her technique again before Makkuro realizes that the others were standing in the line of fire.

"'[OH SHIT]' *Ninpō: Fūheki no Jutsu!"

Makkuro cursed as he jumps in front of his men and weaves hand signs as he conjures up a wall of air before the two assaults canceled each other out as the former and his men were blasted out of the inn forcibly as they skid against the muddied ground due to the impact.

"Not bad... '[Not too bad at all...]'"

Makkuro said as he thought silently as Marin runs to the entrance and quickly closes the door thus taking the opportunity to help San up and grabbed Sasha.

* * *

 **~(** **In the meantime,** **in a** **n isolated** **clearing not too far from** **Reiyaka-ji** **)**

While the Kawamoto-ya was having a bit of an issue of their own, Gin on the other hand, was having trouble as he skids across the ground as he leaves dragged tracks in his wake.

"Well now, this sort of thing sure takes me back..."

Gin said sarcastically while breathing heavily as his headband falls off and breaks, causing his bangs to fall over his eyes as sweat trickles from his forehead to the tip of his nose, his shirt riddled with cuts and his jeans marked with grass stains.

"'[OK, Somehow, I need to think up a new plan or I'm toast!]'"

Gin thought as he carefully sets up a strategy as the rain starts to pound harder into the ground along with the noise of wind resounding throughout the clearing as lightning and thunder clashed with one another.

"I've heard that Lycanthropy grants your kinsmen incredible speed and agility and yet you haven't made any moves, such as to attack my blind spot, which would've been appropriate since I don't possess the stamina to catch up."

"'[I thought so myself but unfortunately the ground's becoming too unstable due to the rain but he's right about one thing––?! No wait, he's only saying that to get me to drop my guard and to self-destruct.]'"

"'[It appears that the boy has learn of my intention.]'"

Gin thought as Shakuren silently commends Gin on calming down and analyzed the situation as the latter takes up his stance again by bringing his forearms to his chest as thunder clashes with lightning, raindrops were slowed down as it slowly splashed down onto the ground.

"'[Thought you got the drop on me, didn't you but I've got you all figured out.]'"

Gin thought as he smirks confidently as Shakuren smiled contently when suddenly Gin rushes forward as he swings his right fist at Shakuren who dodges it and jumped back.

"EAT THIS!"

"Argh!"

Gin shouted as he closes the gap and swung his fist at Shakuren's cheek, sending him high into the air and come crashing to the ground as Gin huffed heavily.

"As expected of Yokai Gakuen's 'Mad Dog'... But it's not enough, I'm afraid... *Ninpō: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"'[Maybe it was a bad idea to take that invitation too early––?!]'"

 **BOOM!**

Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out to Gin as a flash of ivory-white as a herald of shuriken coming straight at him but not until he saw a small rainfall of black feathers as the rain-droplets was blown sky-high into the air by a blast as the sound echoes throughout all of Umiyuri.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile** **over at the** **Kawamoto-** **ya...** **)~**

"What the Hell was that?"

Korito asks as Midori, along with Makkuro and Kikuto, stood in front of the patio as he looked over his shoulder to see a huge cloud of dust rising into the stormy sky through the harsh curtain of rain.

"Worry about that later but right now we got a bigger problem..."

Makkuro said as he took a step back from the patio entrance before closing his eyes and breathed in deeply as a shroud of flame-like cloak engulfs his body entirely.

"'[If my hunch is correct...]' Lest you guys want to live to see your next birthday, I suggest you stay right where you are."

"What?"

Makkuro said as Midori and Korito chorused confusingly while Kikuto sighed as he grabs them and over to the side until Makkuro begins to weave hand-signs at a rapid pace and shouted loudly into the air.

"*Ninpō: Fūō-Tanjū no Jutsu!"

Makkuro bellowed as the wind pressure had gathered in one place along with petal-like lights in front of him before launching it like bullets to the glass doors.

"'[There's not a jutsu in the whole world that's more destructive than that and the client DID say to 'use any means necessary'.]' It's only a matter of time."

Kikuto thought as he recalls the ruinous results of the said jutsu as he sees the attack closing in but just when the blast was about to collide with the doors.

"'[Oh wow... So that's Shuryō's Ace Technique...]'"

"'[It's over––?!]'"

Midori thought awestruck as Korito thought triumphantly until a small wind-chime decorated with blue-purple pendulum bullets began to glow brightly as water rose up from the floor and form a crystallized shield as it not only neutralized the attack but absorbed it effortlessly.

"'[HUH?!]'"

"'[WHAT THE HELL?!]'"

"'[Should've known...]' Guys, stay right where you are!"

Makkuro barked to his three subordinates as the wall suddenly glowed bright red and redirected it back at the latter until his eyes glowed an eerie shade of navy-blue as a familiar spark appeared out of nowhere as the assault zeroed in and erupted as smoke enveloped the patio while the sound of panting was heard as it reveals to be Sakaru kneeling on the floor.

"There, that should keep them preoccupied for about a minute or so... '[Your teacher had schooled you well, Makkuro... But not well enough, I'm afraid.]'"

Sakaru as he gets up from the floor and praises Makkuro's attempts while hearing the raindrops beats in rhythm like drums as the water-drains overflowed with muddied water as it flows from the gutters and into the streets before he takes a glance over his shoulder and saw Makoto by the doorway.

"Don't worry, I'm no danger of overexerting myself... '[Come to think of it, I haven't use my powers in a long time... Well, not since *Shisha...]'"

Sakaru said assuringly as he recounts the last time he used his abilities as he hears muffled voices ranged out from a certain room on the 2nd floor.

"C'mon, we better make the preparations."

Sakaru said as he and Makoto made their over to the kitchen for preparations of their plan, unaware that Kabuto had listened in on their conversation moments after the scuffle from earlier.

* * *

 **~(Around the same time as upstairs on the 2** **nd** **Floo** **r** **)~**

As the rain continues to pour down, the lightning crackles as the thunder roars with its sound and flashed briefly inside the cloud cover when the wind begins to push the rainfall much like how gunpowder is through a magnetic current.

"Just hear me out guys! If anything, I'd say that we send someone over to the school and then wait––?!"

"Oh yeah sure thing, unless you're alright in having two barbecued Vampires, a soaked Succubus and a water-logged *Yuki-jo on your hands."

Inu said as she comforts a blurred figure from inside the hostel but was interrupted by Yūgure's retort as he stated that the weather is too unstable for either Moka, Kokoa, Kurumu or Mizore to go for help.

"Then how about we––?!"

Fāng-Fāng suggests a plan which went unheard due to the raindrops pelting against the rooftop as lightning flashes and illuminates the room, showing a silent Sasha leaning against the wall on the other side of the doorway and thinks back a minute earlier.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 1** **0** **minute** **s** **earlier)~**

 _After the scuffle, Marin spared no expense and place the inn on lock-down as they made their way to the 2_ _nd_ _floor and explain the situation to the others._

 _"EH...!? Mercenaries were trying to kidnap Sasha-chan?"_

 _Tsukune and the others shouted in union as Marin nods and Kanada pulls out the file containing Sasha's name on it followed by the file concerning the Rokkagumi._

 _"It's true that I didn't see any signs of bad living on them but it doesn't change the fact that they were hired by someone who knows the existence of Ayashi."_

 _"_ _She's right_ _, they_ _even_ _had specific knowledge of Sasha's appearance."_

 _"And after that, it's gets even better. They've also researched almost everything about me, from my early childhood to my current lifestyle..."_

 _Marin said worryingly as Kanada expounded the details along with Sasha as sarcasm graced her voice while everyone remained quiet as they surveyed the photos that were taken concerning until Fāng-Fāng questions the whereabouts of Gin and Haiji only_ _for_ _it_ _be brushed aside by Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore and Kokoa._

 _"They're probably harassing the local girls here or something."_

 _Said Kurumu as she shrugs her shoulders indifferently as Yukari, Mizore and Kokoa nodded in agreement._

 _"Tch, fooling around at a time like this..."_

 _"Can we please get back to the topic at hand?"_

 _Yūgure_ _inquired_ _as he degrades his upperclassmen altogether as Yūki asked deadpanned_ _ly_ _before_ _Sasha clears_ _her throat to get everyone's attention._

 _"All right moving on, aside of what Inu and I had gathered, not much is known about the Rokkagumi, per se."_

 _"Yeah, not only that but these guys are of samurai descent and have been around since the_ _mid-1500s_ _."_

 _Kanada said as he discusses about what he and Inu had uncovered facts about the Rokkagumi late last night as Sasha also added details concerning the said squadron as she slumps over in exasperation before straightening up and combing her hair back while coming up with a different approach._

 _"In short,_ _the_ _organization_ _'_ _s kind of like the *'Onmyōji', only they make their living by serving as_ _mercenary-like_ _*'Oniryōshi'."_

 _And just like that, Sasha had uncovered a 'tiny' detail concerning the Rokkagumi's purpose to her classmates in which didn't fazed them much to the latter's chagrin as she recalls that they've been threatened over numerous times on a daily basis._

 _"And the fact that they've hired a well-renowned group of mercenaries still stands and if that's not enough to scare you guys then I don't know what will."_

 _Piped Kanada as he also includes the parts 'live capture' and scaring his friend's classmates_ _slightly_ _._

 _"But apparently,_ _their benefactor_ _must think that it would be funny to place a huge bounty of 500,000,000 ryō on my head––?!"_

 _"500,000,000 ryō?!"_

 _Sasha said as she sla_ _m_ _s_ _down_ _a_ _file_ _containing,_ _not only the bounty but the latter's personal information,_ _that she got from Marin_ _during_ _the scuffle on the table as everyone_ _'s_ _eyes_ _had_ _wide_ _ned_ _like_ _a pair of_ _saucers_ _when they saw the amount_ _._

 _"_ _Are you_ _mean_ _t_ _to say that this Shōnenrashī_ _jo_ _––?!"_

 _"Don't call me Shōnenrashī_ _jo_ _~~~!"_

 _"The one that refused to even wear the female uniform and vowed to wear it on the day she graduates is worth this_ _MUCH_ _?!"_

 _Said Kokoa as she gestures over to Sasha's direction and points out the bounty,_ _waving_ _of_ _f_ _Sasha_ _'s_ _usual_ _chastising_ _the former_ _'s choice of words_ _._

 _"Pretty much, yeah."_

 _Kanada said stone-faced as he bluntly answered Kokoa's question as the girl's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped to the floor._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present Time)~**

Sasha looks back and forth between her friends as the conversation scales even further as the muffled sound of thunder rumbles from within the stormy heavens.

"And what's worst is that the rain won't let up till midnight tonight."

"So without any means of communication, transportation and field advantage, we're basically screwed...!"

Tatsuki said exasperatedly while Yūgure bangs his fist onto the wall as it emits an sound loud enough to startle everyone as Shizuku stares at the photos but before Shizuku can voiced his opinion, he was beaten to the punch by Rubi in which caused everyone to divert their attention over to the young woman.

"What's too weird, Rubi-san?"

Tsukune asks as Moka and the others follow in suit as Sasha hugged her knees and seemingly tunes everyone out before Rubi continues with her question.

"I mean, both Inuya-chan, Kanada-kun and Sasha-chan went up against one of their own. Then up pops a band of mercenaries a few hours LATER, don't you guys think it's strange––?! Sasha-chan? Where you going?"

"What I should've done minutes ago..."

Rubi said but was interrupted by Sasha walking over to the door with the intention of turning herself over to the Kurorōga but before the rest can even protest, Sakaru quickly enters the room.

"Before you say anything, just hear me out first because the plan that I have in store might save us all from resorting to self-sacrificing options."

"… … … What do you have in mind?"

Sakaru said as the rain continues to fall over all as silence entered the seaside inn before Sasha broke the ice and asks what the plan was.

"Everyone's getting ready to depart... Sasha, are you ready for this?"

Makoto asks as Sasha ties her hair into a ponytail before bringing a sharp knife and slicing it off clean as she brushes away the severed strands off her shoulders.

"Ready."

"You know, I haven't seen that hairstyle in years..."

Sasha said as Makoto remembers of how Sasha's hair was originally like prior as she reveals to sport a shagged short hairstyle while receiving a black cloak from Makoto as it now reveals that her hair no longer bears its signature hair colour/style but instead possessing the same style as her younger sister's before opening the door and greeting Tatsuki and the other boys as they too also sport the same as they don themselves in identical cloaks.

"Sasha, whatever luck you've lived by, let's hope it last the night... … … [And US for that matter...]"

Tatsuki said as the wind howled and mist begins to cover the seaside town as the silence intensified with the exception of the thunder until the hostel was engulfed with smoke as Makkuro and his team were caught off-guard as 8 figures emerges from the cover at high speed.

"Shuryō! There are 8 targets! 5 are on the move from the front!"

Kikuto shouted as he inhaled the smoke while Midori struggles to open his eyes just briefly to see 3 figures jumping from the balcony and onto the sand as they started to make their way to the cove.

"SHIT! Kikuto, you and Korito take on the 5 in front! Midori, you and I handle the 3 from the back!"

"RIGHT/SIR!"

Makkuro said as he barked orders to his men as they split up, however what did not occurred to them is that over near the left alleyway is an unusually large crate stationed underneath the awning as the lid popped open and creaked lightly as a familiar pair of circular black-rimmed glassed came into view.

"'[Didn't think that there was something like this underneath the hostel... Guess the old saying was true: 'You can't judge a book by its cover...']'"

"… … … …"

"[OK, everything's clear.]"

Kabuto thought deviously as he opened the lid all the way and hopped out as he strained his ears to hear any movement from the patio before motioning a hooded Sasha to do the same while holding out his hand and helping the young nōshishoku-haired girl out of the crate as it reveals a hidden passageway going underneath the Kawamoto-ya.

"Careful, watch your step; it's a bit slippery... All right then, let's go..."

Kabuto whispered as he cautioned Sasha to watch her step due to the gathered rainwater while Sasha expresses her thanks as he smiled lightly and weaved handsign for the *Shunshin no Jutsu as they were engulfed in smoke and disappeared without a trace.

* * *

Authoress: And so dawns the end of the new chapter! (Finally~! And I am so sorry that it took so long to finish it~!)

The A/N Chapter will be here soon, so look forward to it! **  
**

P.S., I do not own anything except for the names that have the symbol (*) are the OC(s) that I've created on the fly and the ones with the symbol (**) are the OC(s) that my pals from D.A and I have created.

More will be revealed soon so until then, Mata nē!


	8. Bonus I

Author's Note:

Hi there, my readers! I'm sure if you all have questions regarding the other characters, especially Naruto and the story being rewritten.

The story itself is currently being rewritten into a saga (from wonderful encouragement from my watchers of my D.A account) as we speak (Mainly due to me finding mistakes left/right and providing little (or too much) detail in the fight scenes) - So far so good, the story is becoming more better than the minute, along with how the young protagonist's past is slowly being revealed (notably from P.O.V of her fellow friends).

Now in regards to the characters - Over the years of writing this fanfict, I've been questioning myself on whether or not of keeping the Naruto characters (in this case; Naruto and Hinata) the same or genderbend (not to mention reading a fair few of fem Naruto/Male Hinata fanficts) and after careful consideration, I've decided to make some Naruto characters genderbents!

With that said and done, I hope you all have a wonderful day of reading the story 'Shinobi Journalist ~Book of Summer~' - Stay tuned for more chapters, My readers!

\- Sincerely, Yuuguregurl21 (formerly known as 'Neriaruku120695').

P.S., Here is a little sneak peek of the upcoming-in-the-nearer-future fanfict (the first of the two-part series): 'Shinobi Journalist ~Book of Summer~', hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter 7.1: Bonus Chapter I**

 **Chapter 1:** **1** **st** **Step into** **Exploring** **the World of Unlimited Light** **and** **Diving into the Sea of** **Unfathomable Darkness**

* * *

 **~(Prologue)~**

 _Within the deepest depths of darkness, a small child, wrapped inside a blue bundle, was sitting in the midst of the dark space as the deafening silence was broken._

 _"...Sorry..."_

 _ _**__ ** _My earliest memory was_** ** _a world of darkness and_** ** _a_** **_voice..._**

 _Suddenly, a voice called out as tiny drops of blue-tinted water fell from the endless ceiling as it apologizes to the little one softly._

 _"...I'm so sorry..."_

 _ **A person was**_ _ **calling out to me from the**_ _ **endless shaded sky as drops of water came raining down**_ _ **...**_

 _Its voice riddled with choked sobs as the droplets come in one after the other_ _like a light rainfall in the summertime_ _._

 _'Whose voice is that––?!'_

 _"I'm truly sorry for what I am about to do..."_

 _ **It was as though, it**_ _ **was apologizing to me for**_ _ **leaving**_ _ **me**_ _ **to**_ _ **experience something**_ _ **very**_ _ **lonesome and scary...**_

 _The droplets had rained down upon the ground like a rushing waterfall tinted with the calming color of copper-blue until it soon changed into a maroon-red color._

 _"I won't deny that the road ahead of you is long and harsh but you mustn't lose sight of yourself..."_

 _Suddenly, the sound of cracking soon emerged forth from the_ _dark ceiling_ _as if it were_ _fragile_ _glass._

 _"I'm sorry for making such a decision for you_ _though_ _... I can only pray that you don't spend your life in hating me."_

 _The cracking soon became louder and louder until finally it had shattered into a thousand of pieces as light washes the darkness_ _away_ _until the scene itself was dyed in shades of indigo-blue/purple_ _._

 _ **My second memory was the prelude of my story...**_

* * *

 **~(** **Somewhere on the 1** **st** **Floor of** **Yōkai Gakuen** **'s** **Main Building** **– 18 years later)~**

The cold midwinter lingers int the air and the smoke ascends towards the sky as muffle disembodied chatter was heard as the students had started to clean their respective classrooms while going over their plans for the holidays along with discussing club activities.

"Oh wow, you're actually going over to Paris for Christmas?"

"I'm so envious!"

The majority of the chatter belongs to a small group of female students as a young 1st year girl with apple-blond hair tied into swirling pigtails discussed her plans of inviting another person much to her girlfriends' shock.

"No way! Who're you going to ask?"

"Fu fu, it's gonna be Kanaka-sempai of Class 2-3!"

The girl said before letting out a squeal as her classmates gaped in surprise before letting out a huge squeal as it resounds inside their classroom much to the chagrin of the male students.

"Really, you're going to ask the Newspaper Club's *'Oni no Fukushuji'?!"

"As in the one who undertakes the commands of Headmaster Mikogami, the one they call the *'In'ei no Kijin'?"

"The one who's on the par with Morioka Gin'ei, the 'Mad Dog', the one they call the *'Gettōgisha'?"

"The one that can freeze even the most scariest delinquent in their tracks, the *'Byakuyagō'?"

The girls asked in a 'single-file-line' manner as the girl runs out of the classroom at full speed as her friends behind looked to one another and rushes after her before one of the 1st year boys announces their condolences for their upperclassman.

"Ah man, the girls have been coming after him like a pack of wolves though I'm surprised that you guys weren't informed of Kanaka-sempai's plans for the break."

The boy talked over to his friend as they discussed about the rumor floating about along with news of dread as it catches the attention of the absentee's friends.

"Eh, informed of what?"

Asked the absentee's friends as one of the boys sits up from his chair and answered their questions.

"What? You guys didn't hear? Kanaka-sempai's––?!"

* * *

 **~(2 minutes later)~**

As the girl approached the classroom, she opened the sliding door immediately as it slams against the panel with full force as the sound had caused the 2nd year student flinched in shock and discomfort while others were taken by surprise as they cried out in pain due to spilling their hot beverages onto their laps.

"Kanaka-sempai! My family's hosting a Christmas dinner party over in Paris, so I was wondering if you would like to come with as a guest?"

She shouted aloud with brimming confidence before finding out that her plans will all be for naught.

"Huh? Oh, if you're looking for Kanaka, don't waste your breath... The boy had already left about an hour ago."

"Eh?! Then where is he?"

Said one male student in irritation as he groans from the pain of having the door slamming against the wall as the girl gave out a gasp and demanded the whereabouts of his classmate much to the latter's chagrin.

"You mean you didn't hear the news?"

"What news?"

"Kanaka's going with his club for a retreat in the Human World."

"… … … …"

The student's friend said as he groans in pain of being scalded by his hot chocolate spilling onto his wrist while girl gaped speechlessly as the color began to drain from her body before letting out a ear-piercing scream.

"EH!?"

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile on Yōkai Gakuen Rooftop)~**

The scream had resonated throughout the campus until it reaches the rooftop encased by a stone railings which surrounds it and reveals a young man wearing church attire that priests and monks had worn back in the ancient times.

"17 years, huh...? '[So the day has finally come... I wonder how he'll handle it...?]'"

The mysterious figure said curiously as the wind howled vividly as the hood's hemline begins to waver and takes it off entirely as his silvery-white hair flows along with the wind – He leans against the bars as his eyes looks pass the fence as he sees a group of 2nd year schoolboys walking towards to bus stop.

"'[However, knowing the boy's temper...]' *sigh* Looks like I have to prepare myself a couple of all-nighters––?!"

"Oya~ Now this is a sight! The 'Strategist', Tenmei Mikogami, is displaying a depressed look like a father giving his daughter away for marriage."

After seeing how excited the young men are as they walk along the path and recalling the past events that a particular boy was in, the figure –– Now known as Tenmei Mikogami –– sighed exasperatedly as he prepares himself for a grand amount of paperwork before sensing an familiar presence coming from behind him as he turns around to see a young tall *Bishōnen with long unkempt black hair – He wore a black robe tied with a decorated sash around the waist followed by a white bell-sleeved robe.

"But then again, this isn't the first time that something like this has happen..."

He said while leaning against the stone railing as he inhaled tobacco from his *kiseru and exhaled puff of smoke as he re-adjusted his dark circular glasses neatly to the bridge of his nose as Tenmei stayed silent for a moment until he broke the ice by smirking as he gives the young man his second opinion.

"Tōhō Fuhai, I prefer the term 'Honored Student' however you're right about one thing; the boy definitely has the capacity to surpass his peers if desired but... I can't shake this foreboding."

Tenmei said as Fuhai raised a brow when the wind howled even louder than before as he stretched out his arms as he walks over to his teammate and stared out in the distance.

"You know, I once read an article that distress can cause gray hair to grow––?!"

Tōhō Fuhai said jokingly as he raised his left hand to cover Tenmei's mouth as he pulled out a rosary from his chest.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding~! Man, don't you learn how to take a joke, Mikogami?"

"We've known each other for the past 200 years and not once your jokes has ever impressed me..."

Fuhai asked nervously as Tenmei frowned and replied bluntly much to the man's chagrin as he retracts his hand as images flashed before his eyes from the time as the said boy was brought at a young age as if it were only yesterday.

* * *

 **~(5 Years Ago)~**

 _The dark gray clouds rumbled and moved slowly as the air_ _remained_ _constant_ _inside the secret world as the trees surrounding the campus were stripped of their leaves and stood bared_ _with_ _their pride_ _intact as the_ _silence which had lingered in the air was broken by the sound of someone drawing in the dirt was heard._

 _"_ _ _So that's the boy?"__

 _Tenmei asks as he sees a young boy wearing a cobalt-blue/black overalls with a starlight-gray long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark_ _indigo_ _hooded cloak followed by white shoes hunched over as he continues to draw doodles in the ground,_ _unaware_ _that he was being watched by the_ _Headmaster_ _himself from his office's window._

 _"Yes. He's_ _a resident of a Yōkai village,_ _*Shinrinmura, hidden deep in the_ _mountain range of the_ _Izu Peninsula_ _."_

 _Said one of Tenmei's subordinates as he looks over the_ _said child's_ _profile and informed his employer the rest of it whereas the listener himself was preoccupied by the appearance of a volleyball rolling towards the boy's way and sees a few preschoolers walking up to the latter down below thus engaging a conversation._

 _"_ _Oh..._ _?_ _So he's a member of the mysterious class,_ _the_ _*_ _Ainokoyō_ _?"_

 _"Yes, they're considered as the subspecies of the *Hanyō and––?!"_

 _"How very interesting..."_

 _The man said but was interrupted by Tenmei as the young boy's upbringing will become much more interesting during the latter's stay here in Yōkai Gakuen._

 _ **A fact in which would later become a reality 1**_ _ **8**_ _ **years later...**_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

"'[Is what I said at the time but what I didn't realize that the boy had exceeded all my expectations entirely despite being ignorant of his history... That is, if he has embraced his powers fully]'."

Tenmei thought back to his charge's arrival and how interesting of how he'll grow over the years as he looks beyond the gates as the wind grew strong enough to rustle even the most stilled forests as it breaks their silence.

"Don't worry, if there's one thing you must know about the *Sanjin is that they're much more feistier than your average country bumpkin."

Tōhō Fuhai said as the wind howls as the sky begins to darken in color as a light snowfall begins to descend from the heavens like fleeting *Hakuōki blossoming out-of-season.

* * *

 **~(** **Meanwhile s** **omewhere along the trail to the Bus Stop)~**

Around the same time, the wind has caused huge flocks of bats scared a group of teenage schoolboys ranging from 17-18 years as they carried their bags when suddenly, one of the boys let out a sneeze loud enough to scare his fellow classmates and cause the boy to drop his dufflebag due the backlash.

"Whoa... Hey man, you OK?"

The first on the scene is *Kagenashi Masaki - An 18-year-old young man with thigh-length autumn-plum hair tied into a ponytail and cosmos-blue eyes - He wore a sea-blue sleeved hoodie followed by a rondo-purple bracer on his right arm along with a pair of grey shin-length pants and calf-length dark brown boots, asks worryingly as his friend sniffs groggily.

"Ugh, yeah..."

Answered a relatively slimmed young man with unkempt medium-length dark rondo-purple hair as his fringe hides his eyes - He wore an sleeveless navy-blue shirt underneath a black-amethyst jersey zipped halfway as it shows an dark purple-coloured fluorite crystal bullet pendulum entwined with a pair of blue zircon dragons tied with *sōraniro ribbon followed by ankle-length dark blue jeans along with charcoal-black boots.

"You know, this wouldn't have happen if you've been discreet the other day."

Said another one of the latter's classmates *Mizukiri Ritsuku - A 17-year-old light-skinned young man with rosy-red waist-length hair pinned up with a scarlet-red hairclip and a pair with deep blood-red eyes - He wore a slim-fitted black singlet long-sleeved shirt with a sleeveless midriff-length burgundy-red jean vest followed by dark rondo-purple comfortable-fitted armband worn on his left arm along with blue jeans and greyish-black sneakers.

"I know Ritsuku... I know."

Said the former as he crouches down to the ground and unzipped his dufflebag while remembering the time where he was summoned to the Headmaster's office.

* * *

 **~(Flashback – 2 weeks ago)~**

 _** **For as long as I could remember, I thought about my new-found life here at Yōkai Gakuen but I knew that my time here would be no different than spending in a detention center.**_

 _The moon illuminates small portions of the_ _campus_ _which can be seen through a window to room filled with candles acting as a source of light to the room as they flickered slightly as it caused the shadows to move almost like they were dancing as the silence was broken by the sound of knocking at the end of the room._

 _"Yes, what is it?"_

 _Asked Tenmei as he looks out into the window with his back turned against the door as the muffled sound of a young woman was heard from the other side._

 _"Pardon my intrusion, Chairman but I've brought the boy."_

 _"Ah yes, send him in please."_

 _Tenmei said as he asks for the woman to send in the recipient as it reveals to be the same one as before only he was dressed casually but still possessed a polite demeanor as he walked into the room softly as Tenmei smiled_ _politely_ _as the boy bowed and seated himself quietly._

 _"You've summoned for me, sir?"_

 _"Yes, there's something I want to discuss with you. … Are you still aware of what had happen during your 3_ _rd_ _year in Junior High?"_

 _The boy asked as Tenmei nodded and asked about the boy's well-being since his Junior High years curiously despite how the matter itself had caused the boy some discomfort whenever it is mentioned as the latter himself thought about it before answering the former reluctantly._

 ** _Due to an incident during my 3_** ** _rd_** ** _year in Junior High, I was prohibited from ever leaving the school grounds and going on trips to the Human World until graduation arrives and that's something that I had to accept..._**

 _The boy frown slightly as he answers the older gentleman's question hesitantly while remembering the details of the said incident as the images flashes inside his mind like a cinematic record._

 _"_ _Y_ _es but what does that got to do with––?!"_

 _"I'll cut to the chase: You now have the opportunity to go with your club on their winter break."_

 _"Eh?"_

 _ **...Or at least, that's what I thought originally.**_

 _"_ _Wait, WHAT?! But Headmaster, the condition_ _––?!"_

 _Tenmei said bluntly as the boy went silent for a brief time_ _before letting out a sound a_ _s Tenmei remained calm in a professional manner._

 _"'Unless a part of you is on his person at all times, you are not to step outside the barrier's boundaries', am I right? Well, the condition only applies_ _IF_ _a_ _portion_ _of yourself is on his person at times but..."_

 _The boy stammer_ _ed nervously as Tenmei_ _inquired that he has found a loophole in the condition, much to the latter's shock as Tenmei chuckled softly and explained to the latter carefully._

 _"So long as Kagenashi-kun is within your 5m radius, you can keep a close eye on him... Congratulations, you may now enter the Human World, *Saren A._ _I_ _Kanaka..."_

 ** _I didn't know what he meant by that but from that night on, I absolutely think–– No, I truly felt the world had suddenly began to brighten up._**

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

Saren digs into his dufflebag for a tissue while feeling a pat on his shoulder to see a small notepad in front of him written with pine-green ink as he eyed over it to see the third member as *Amano Hijiri – An 18-year-old fair-skinned young man with medium-brown hair and amethyst-purple eyes - He wore a cardinal-red rib-tank-top underneath a dark burgundy-purple short-sleeved shirt slightly unbuttoned halfway down followed by black slimmed jeans and white-gray laced boots.

"[You sure you're not coming down with a cold?]"

Hijiri looked concerned for the poor boy as they all continue their way up the path and to the bus stop as Saren reassures Hijiri before letting out another sneeze.

"Yes Hijiri, I'm sure. It's just that ever since word got out, everyone started talking about it practically non-stop––?! Ah-choo!"

Said the young man as he felt a sneeze coming along before hearing the sound of Ritsuku tsking as well as the distant sound of an engine.

"Well that's what you get for leaking out information––?!"

Ritsuku said he was interrupted by the sound of an horn as he and the others looked over to the bus stop to see an incoming vehicle as the young schoolboys looked over to one another before letting out a loud gasp and broke into multiple sprints.

"Aw man, talk about bad luck! First I get chased by rabid 2nd and 3rd year girls for 2½ weeks, then my favourite blades gets chipped during practice (That's *¥1075 down the toilet!) and now I'm sneezing up a storm! Seriously man, what could be more worse than this?!"

Saren said as he recalls his past misfortunes prior to the now as the wind became more lively as it brushes the boy's bangs out of his face as it reveals a handsome pair of narrow-shaped deep navy-blue eyes.

"Oh c'mon, Saren! Are you still going on about that?! I said I was sorry!"

Piped Ritsuku as he irritably harps the young nōshishoku-haired boy while they continued to run over to the bus and saw most of their fellow classmates seated inside along with his club advisor and assistant in tow.

"Are we late, Nekonome-sensei?!"

Saren asks breathlessly as he looks over to his homeroom teacher, Nekonome Shizurō - A young man with sandy-blond hair with slanted eyes and dark auburn-red glasses - He wore a dark red shirt underneath a white dress shirt followed by brown trousers and low heeled loafers.

"Nope, you guys made it just in the nick of time..."

He said as Tōjō Rubi - A young girl with long dark black hair with two locks tied into ponytails on either side and reddish-pink eyes - She wore a Gothic pink corset with long blackish-brown skirt with frills at the end and high-heeled shoes – Walks from behind the young teacher and greeted the boys with a smile.

"Ah guys, *Ohayo-gozaimasu!"

The second to greet was Aono Tsukuyo - A young girl with dark brown hair and matching brown eyes - She wore a white sleeved-shirt underneath a princess-style pale beige coat followed by light blue jeans along with white sneakers.

"Ah Ohayo, Kanaka-kun, Kagenashi-kun, Mizukiri-kun and Amano-kun!"

The third was Akashiya Mokato - A young man with peach-blossom hair and emerald-green eyes - He wore a long-sleeved black u-shirt exposing his choker-bound rosario underneath an off-shoulder grey short-sleeved shirt followed by a pair beige pants and black loafers.

"Took you guys long enough, we were about to leave with you!"

The fourth to ask was Kurono Kumaru - A young boy with light ocean-blue spiky hair and deep purple eyes - He wore a sleeved white-blue jersey with matching pants and brown sneakers – He runs up to Tsukuyo and hugs her while she blushes at the misfortune of being pressed against by his well-toned pectorals, much to Mokato's chagrin.

"Kanaka-kun, you're also coming with us to the Human World too, -de ne?!"

"You bet!"

The second to greet was Sendō Yūko – A young boy with chin-length dark brown hair underneath an black cap and purple eyes - He wore a mahogany-red button-up shirt with a matching vest along followed by pine-green shorts along with bright pale yellow socks and brown shoes.

"Oya, oya, Kanaka-san; you're here too?"

"Well, someone has to keep on eye on you guys from going all-out, especially after the *PSC battle, the Field trip Incident and the *Ririsu Affair. What, did you guys honestly think that I'm so busy with my freelance services that I have no time for a little R&R?"

The third to greet was Shirayuki Miro – A young boy with short light purple hair and blue eyes - He wore a black tank-top underneath an midnight-blue high-collared hoodie and a yellow pendant followed by brown khakis along with white sneakers and a black criss-cross belt tied to his right thigh - He asked Saren as the latter remarked how they caused 3 disturbances within 2 years' time and assumed the latter's schedule was so booked that he was unable to have a day off.

"Well, who wouldn't be, considering the fact that you go on errands once a week. Hell, I'm surprised that you haven't peel over and died of exhaustion yet."

Said the fourth boy, Shuzen Kokota - A young boy with emerald-green eyes and red-orange spiky-flat hair - He wore a red/white sleeved shirt followed by dark red/black plaid pants along with shin-length black buckled boots – He said as he remembers seeing Saren going back and forth between his assignments and his club activities over the past weeks much to the latter's annoyance.

"Uh, *Kokota-chan; you got it all wrong... You're suppose to say 'Well considering how much of a hard-worker he is, Kanaka-sempai is the absolute coolest~!'––?!"

"Now why would I do that? It's obviously a lie."

Saren enunciated through gritted only to have Kokota shrugged it off and retorted with sarcasm as Saren snapped briefly before Kokota continued his assault by uttering a forbidden word much to everyone's dismay.

"Kokota, temē..."

"And what're you going to do about it, *Nadeshiko-kun––?!"

"Who're you calling an obedient little kid that's more feminine than the women and gets turned down by them because he looks 'unreliable', you bastard!?"

"Nobody even said that, you selective-hearing idiot!"

Saren shouted as he heard the term 'Nadeshiko' while Kokota retaliated as he and Saren glared at each other before delivering insults to one another as a means of injuring their pride.

"Ah, there they go again..."

Tsukuyo and the others looked over to where Kokota and Saren are while Huáng Fān-Fān – A young Bishōjo with black hair tied in a long braid and pink eyes - She wore a light baby-blue qípáo dress followed by black thigh-length stockings and matching flats - Comes in between and tries to calm the two snarling boys down before Yūko steps in and reasoned along side her.

"Now now, Kokota-kun––?!"

"C'mon guys, break it up, break it up. Look, today is suppose to be a good day so let's let bygones be bygones and get along for a few minutes, Ok?"

Fān-Fān said nervously but was interrupted by the intervention of Yūko's voice as he manages to pacify the boys' fight until Saren and Kokota resorted in glaring daggers at each other before they walked away from each other in a huff, much to the relief of the others.

* * *

 **~(Minutes later)~**

After having a brief fight of who gets to sit next to Tsukuyo in which ended with Mokato's win and everyone else had settled down, Nekonome then enters the bus with a clipboard in hand as he takes up roll-call.

"Now when I call your name, raise your hand high so I can see you."

Nekonome said as he was greeted with responses as he looks down to his clipboard and began to call on names.

"All right, Aono Tsukuyo-san?"

Nekonome called out to Tsukuyo as she raises her hand into the air before moving onto the next name.

"Akashiya Mokato-kun?"

Mokato also raised his hand out while Nekonome had checked him off before going to the next name as Saren looks out the window to see the dark clouds gathering before sensing an unknown sensation emitting from his right eye.

"'[What? What this is? This feeling––?! Ow... M-my eye... It's hurting something fierce...]' O-Ouch..."

Saren thought as a white-hot searing pain surges forth from his eye as it threatens to draw blood from its socket as he hunched over his seat and grasps it in pain with his right hand as he hears Nekonome calling out his name.

"Saren A.I Kanaka-kun?"

"'[Not good... I have to call out otherwise Nekonome-sensei will mark me absent...]'... … …"

"Kanaka-kun?"

Saren thought as he struggles to raise his left hand but the immense pain was preventing him from doing so as he hears Nekonome calling out his name again while Saren's hand begins to falter until suddenly someone grabs and raised it into the air while someone starts to impersonate the latter's voice much to the former's surprise.

"Here I am!"

Said the impersonator as Saren gasps in shock while holding his breath in suspense as Nekonome looks over in his direction and sees the boy's hand.

"Ah there you are! All right, Kagenashi Masaki-kun?"

Nekonome said as he calls on another while Saren looks over to his side to see Kokota seated next to him as he lets go of the latter's arm and saw Hijiri seated behind them as the young nōshishoku-haired boy when all of a sudden Kokota hands the latter a small bottle of eye drops.

"'[Kokota... But why?]'"

Saren thought as Kokota huffed indifferently as he complains in a volume so low that only Saren can hear as the former folded his arms across his chest and sighed irritably to the young nōshishoku-haired 2nd year.

"You can be a real handful? You know that your eyes gets dry during this time of year, so don't give us a hard time, you got it?"

Kokota said as he feigns annoyed indifference as Saren looks at him stunned before laughing briefly and smiled to the young man as he gives a playful retort.

"Like you're one to talk, Mr. *Anisakutai..."

"As if you're any better, Ice Princess. It's going to be hours till we reach the Human World, I'm going to sleep. Wake me up and I'll bleed you dry. _"_

"Hai, Shuzen-kun..."

Kokota said as he leans back and closed his eyes while Saren smirks as he applies the drops to his eye before looking out the window when the sounds of his friends begins to fade into the background but with this, Saren's adventure in the Human World had finally begun.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile at an unknown cabin located somewhere outside the Great Barrier)~**

Around the same time, the air grows by the hour as the landscape was blanketed by a large cloud as the sound of pacing was heard from the deserted cabin.

"'And so, the caged bird has been freed from the cage and set its sight to the skies...' But what awaits him is not the joy of freedom but rather, DESPAIR."

Said an unknown figure as he paces back and forth inside the cabin before turning his attention over to his cloaked assistant who was kneeling down in respect before the former stops in his tracks and gives the latter an order.

"*Hunter, you already know what to do... Have Renge at the ready and make sure the interactions are kept at a minimum, we do not want uninvited guests to stop us now..."

The boy replies curtly as he vows that that the mission is a success without any interruptions as the cloaked figure that was kneeling in front of him had disappeared into thin air.

"Very well then... Let the Hunt begin."

He said as he twirls a dart in his hand until he threw it across the room until it landed a few inches from a photo depicting Saren A.I Kanaka before it was dyed red as the man smirked sinisterly and broke out in laughter, aware of the fact that someone was listening in on his conversation from the outside as a tiny puddle of blood forms up on the ground before it reveals that there was no one from behind the wall.

* * *

 **~(Moments later)~**

Rushing through the forest near the outskirts of the old capital city, the cloaked figure panted breathlessly as he jumps throughout the trees while gripping his left shoulder in pain as a trail of blood falls behind him as it stains the ground like a paintbrush flicking a specks of paint onto a white canvas.

 _ _*pant, pant*__

"Ah, **SHIT**!"

The figure slowed down and rested against the trunk briefly before he found himself surrounded by them as they launched an all-out assault as the tree exploded as a balk of clothing came falling to the floor as the attackers lands away from it and waited until the smoke cleared.

 _*Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump..._ *

"What the––?! *Kawarimi no Jutsu?!"

The sound of an heartbeat was heard as the smoke clears only to find out that their target had survived the attack and disguised a log with his cloak as the leader senses an strong amount of *yōki as a flash of black and purple appears and strikes the assailants, incapacitating them.

"Sorry but it's going to take a lot more than that to bring me down..."

Said the figure as a ray of sunlight peeked through the clouds – It was a tall lightly-tanned young man with dark rondo-purple shoulder-length hair tied into a half-ponytail and dark sunglasses covering his eyes – He wore sleeved kimono-style black shirt with matching pants followed by shin-length buckled ebony-black boots.

"'[The boy now has the permission to enter the Human World and if he were to encounter them...]' Then I fear for the worse..."

As he thought about the outcome should Saren A.I Kanaka and the mysterious figure were to meet as he takes off his sunglasses and looks up to the sky as the clouds moved again as the sun brightens up the forest clearing and the ground was stained by snowflakes like cherry blossom petals in mid-spring as the wind howled eerily like a wolf howling into the night.

* * *

 ** **~(Meanwhile over in**** ** **the**** ** **Sōraku**** ** **District, Kyōto Prefecture**** ** **\- Kasagi-**** **chō** ** **)~****

In light of the fact that it was once known as the Imperial Capital, Kyōto still brims with its ever-lasting tranquility as the cold wind sails across the prefecture and carried the dead leaves of the *sakuragi as it reached to an old-fashioned building, the *Tōyō-jisho, and landed gracefully onto the wooden floor as an announcement calls out from the end of the hall.

"[In local news, it appears that it'll be windy weather for the next few days thanks to last week's typhoon...]"

Suddenly, the room's occupant began to stir from his slumber from the announcement – It was a young man with dark chocolate-brown unkempt hair and a light sky-blue eye as his bangs obscures his right – He wore a navy-blue hakama underneath an black thigh-length *haori – He sat up from the tatami floor and rubs the back of his head as he lets out a loud yawn before hearing a familiar voice coming from the hallway.

"*Anata, I'm coming in..."

"Ah? Oh, it's just you, Yukimura."

He said as he sits up and stretched out his arms into the air as he yawns again, promptly showing off his profound fangs before he makes his way to the opposite side of the room and surveys the scenery at hand as the owner of the voice enters the room with an serving tray in hand – It was a young woman with slightly shaggy long coffee-brown hair and light brown eyes – She wore an black halter-top underneath an red kimono-shirt followed by a pair of form-fitting black pants.

"Ah jeez, it's cold~~! Looks like we're in for some strong weather this year..."

"The announcement says that it'll be like this for the next few weeks..."

The young man asked as the winter wind brushes his cheek-length bangs briefly as it reveals an black octagon-shaped eye-patch over his right eye as Yukimura recalled the weather's announcement before Masamune smirks a toothy grin.

"Is something wrong, Masamune?"

"Looks like we got ourselves a very strong wind coming from the North..."

Yukimura asks curiously as she looks over her husband before she gets up from the floor and walks over to him as she surveys the winter-colored sky with him.

"The wind's starting to pick up..."

"Yeah... And that can only mean one thing: A STORM is brewing..."

Yukimura said as she feels the wind caressing her face while Masamune wraps his arm around her as he sees the clouds rumbled softly as tiny snowflakes descends from the *nōkaishoku-colored heavens like white cherry blossom petals fleeting into the wind of the late spring.

* * *

And that includes the part one of the Sneak Peek of 'Shinobi Journalist ~Book of Winter~' but before I forget, here are some points as well. Kanaka Saren's nicknames are somewhat the same as his counterpart and how they were formed (though the full explanations of the nicknames with be revealed in the A/N chapter)

So what'd you guys think? There will be another Bonus Chapter featuring footnotes and trivia points regarding the chapters. That's all for now - I need to work on the 7th chapter (and make changes for the sixth as well). So peace out, my readers!

Once again, I own nothing.


	9. VIII

Authoress: **HELLO MY READERS**! I am so sorry for taking so long to update my chapters! I meant to update it a little faster but circumstances arose and I kind of made it a bit longer than I originally planned. This chapter is featured with two flashbacks and a few details of the protagonist's past and here are is a introduction of Sasha's family, hope you enjoy it!

Reikū: Age: 15 yrs old (Oct. 23rd, Libra)/Izayoi: Age 16 yrs old (Nov. 21st, Scorpio)

Gender: Male (Izayoi)/Female (Reikū)

Monstricity: Cat (both of them are of the same race)

Occupation: Yōkai Gakuen Senior High Students (1st year)

Family: Sasha A.I Kanaka (Adoptive Older Sister)

Biography: Sometime after Sasha became a 1st year in Jr. High, she came across Reikū and Izayoi when they was 7-8 yrs old respectively after being orphaned by a gang of poachers somewhere near the western borders of the Great Barrier and eventually managed to subdue them. Shortly thereafter, Sasha unofficially adopts them much to the amusement of Tenmei.

More will be revealed in the next chapter! I own nothing except the story (Remember, the names that have the symbol (*) are the OC(s) that I've created on the fly and the ones with the symbol (**) are the OC(s) that my pals from D.A and I have created.)

(P.S., I have changed my username from Neriaruku120695 to Yuuguregurl21 and is my permanent pen-name.)

* * *

 **Chapter 8:** **8** **th** **Step in Experiencing Bittersweet Reminisce, Undergoing Pressurized Expectations** **and Uncovering** **One's Hidden** **Truth**

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile at Yōkai Gakuen** **1** **st** **Floor Hallway** **)~**

Around the same time, the students who stayed behind for the summer have completed their make-up exams while others are making their way to Yōkai Gakuen's *Mononoke Arcade for the remainder of the day as the students passed by each other one by one as a sigh was heard from outside the halls.

"*sigh* Aw man, I was so looking forward of spending time with Sasha-onēchan!"

The one to complain was Reikū Kanaka - A young girl with dark mahogany-brown hair with and light hazel-brown eyes - She wore an loose long-sleeved navy-blue shirt followed by black jeans along with ankle-length white-checkered sneakers.

"Yes, I know. I heard you over a 1,000 times already, but that's what you get for staying up late, Reikū––?!"

"Please don't remind me... My butt still hurts just thinking about it––?!"

Said Izayoi Kanaka - A fair-skinned young boy with silver-gray hair and glacier-blue eyes - He wore a pale azure-blue shirt followed by navy-blue jeans and black sneakers – As he recalls how she missed the midterms, Reikū remembers how unpleasant that the make-ups were before hearing something break from somewhere on the 2nd floor.

* * *

 **~(Elsewhere, over** **in** **an opened** **clearing** **near Reiyaka-ji** **)~**

As the rain continues to pour upon the seaside town, the thundering sound of the thunderclap had subsided as smoke slowly rises into the air.

"You see, this is what happens when you don't plan ahead of time..."

"Tch."

Said an mysterious voice as it reprimands Gin for taking an reckless action whereas the latter himself scoffs irritably while being helped up to his feet by the owner of the said voice only to be hit with another lecture.

"You said so yourself, 'The brighter the moonlight, the––?!"

"'The faster werewolves become'. Yes Haiji, I know."

"Yet you sure don't pay attention to it..."

Gin said nonchalantly while a bit of irritation graced his voice as the rain continues its descent upon the clearing but unfortunately Haiji wasn't finished with his rant in which contains vital information concerning their youngest kōhai.

"Geez, you know, I feel sorry for Kanaka-kun. The thought of her ancestry having the subcategory of your species––?!"

"Haiji! Did you forget of what I've told you way back when? 'Think before you speak'..."

But before Haiji can continue, Gin silenced the young karate-loving captain as the latter cupped his mouth in realization that he almost leaked out sensitive information about their young nōshishoku-haired kōhai as the former looked over to the other side of the clearing as smoke and water vapor rises from the ground.

* * *

 **~(Flashback - 2 minutes ago)~**

 _"*Ninpō: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

 _The mysterious voice called out to the *karasuguro-haired young man as the smoke appeared above them as unleashes a herald of kunai and shuriken upon him at an alarming rate._

 _"'[Maybe it was a bad idea to take that invitation too early.]'"_

 _Gin thought regrettably as the perpetrator's flurry attack came at him head-on and seemingly accepts it for he was too worn out from dodging Shakuren's attacks from earlier but not until he and the two soldiers of the Rokkagumi sensed an incoming blast of *yōki-infused air pressure in the wind and looked upwards to the sky and saw a small snowfall of black feathers._

 _"Aw shit––?!"_

 _Both Gin and Byakuren said as the former mustered what little strength he has left and dodged it by retreating back and hid behind a boulder while Byakuren was forced to go back behind Shakuren as the latter took up his kodachi sword and stabbed it into the ground._

 _"*Shakuren-ryū: Ninpō : Akajihei no Jutsu!"_

 _Shakuren shouted as spark of blue lightning emits from the ground and summons a wall of volcanic rock erupts from the ground thus protecting both he and his white-clad companion once the oncoming assault made contact with the rain-soaked clearing and repelled it thus resulting a blast of dirt erupting violently._

 _"Goddammit Haiji, this is exactly why you and I can't have nice things!"_

 _Gin shouted exasperatedly_ _and_ _cover_ _ed_ _his ears in annoy_ _ed_ _discomfort_ _a_ _s the explosion had resonated throughout the entire clearing and all of Umiyuri._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback - Present time)~**

"'[But still, if it hadn't been for Haiji comin' here then I would've be turned into a beehive by now, however...]'"

Gin thought irritably but secretly thanks his karate-loving rival before rethinking Sasha's fight with Byakuren earlier by comparing both bouts as he contemplates the difference between Byakuren and Shakuren though unbeknownst to the young werewolf himself, Haiji was thinking about something else entirely.

"'[Even though it's faint, but it's as if I'm sensing some sort of a heartbeat–– Rather, it felt like something's PULSING, going deeper in the ground.]'"

Haiji thought as he steals a glance over to Shakuren and Byakuren and motioned Gin to overhear their conversation before flashes of blue and brown had entered his line of vision as he held his breath momentarily.

"'[Well shit...]' As always, you have impeccable timing as usual... *Sōren, *Kūren..."

Byakuren said sarcastically over to the two arrivals – It was a young man with sapphire-blue hair and past jaw-length bangs behind an eye-length iris-blue mask tied with a silk black ribbon - He wore a elbow-length black shirt and black jeans followed by a sleeveless zaffre-blue jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejima and black opened-toed sandals.

"Didn't know that the '*Yōmoku' and the '*Eigetsu' would be here instead of being with the *'Kijin'..."

"Byakuren, our orders are to observe only ... Have you forgotten *Kyokuchō's orders?"

Sōren said as he grips his hostler containing three kunai-like *tantō attached to his left thigh tightly as he reprimands Byakuren for his reckless actions, only to be angered by the boy's indifference as he shrugged it off as if it were a speck of dust.

"*Fukuchō..."

Shakuren said as he bows to the young woman standing before him - It was a young woman with rhythm-blue hair and side-swept bangs obscuring her face along with an eye-length steel-blue mask tied with a silk black ribbon - She wore a elbow-length black shirt and black jeans followed by a sleeveless navy-blue jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejima and black soft-leathered boots.

"Byakuren, you and Shakuren are to report back *Shiren right now."

Kūren said as her *wakizashi attached to her right hip shifts a little as she thought about Byakuren's recent behavior while ordering Shakuren to go back to their base along with Byakuren and Kuriren in tow.

"What?! Are you for real?! We have them right in our grasp! Once the girl succumbs to *Nehime, we'll be able to––?!"

"'['Nehime'?]'"

Byakuren said before letting out a curse and indulged an important detail unintentionally which did not go unnoticed by Gin and earned an stern glare from Kūren.

"Byakuren...!"

"Ngh, Y-Yes Ma'am... I understand."

Kūren said as Byakuren jolts in fear and complies to the woman's demand in reluctance while Sōren narrows his gaze at the latter before turning his attention to Haiji and Gin by submitting an warning in advance as the sky roars with thunder and clashed with the lightning as it illuminates the clearing as Shakuren takes out an talisman and chanted a spell as he summons the same mirror-like gateway as last time.

"I'm terribly sorry the trouble that we caused but nonetheless, this isn't the last time we will see each other but the next time we meet... Will end differently."

"Therefore, we bid you farewell..."

Kūren said as she and Sōren bows before disappearing into the dark gate as Haiji scowled before softening his face and glanced over to his wolfish rival as concern painted over the latter's face as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

"'[It's practically a miracle that Sasha and the other two have managed to fend off ONE of them with just the skin of their teeth but...]' …We might not be a match for them even at our best."

"I kind of have a feeling that you might say that but worrying about it isn't going to help us any... Nor will it help the others."

Gin thought as he whispered his opinion in a low voice as he theorized the outcome if both sides had gone all out as Haiji reassures him before the former shook his head in disagreement much to his martial arts-loving rival's confusion.

"I understand that but those guys are the least of my worries. The one whom I'm most worried about is Sasha––?!"

Gin said worryingly as he thinks about the youngest kōhai's mentality stage before being bombarded with Haiji's interruption.

"Gin, I thought we've been over this but Sasha is almost 18, so she can handle something like this herself."

"I meant if she was a normal Yōkai... You, me, Sempai and the Headmaster already know what she's like when facing this sort of thing."

Haiji said as he berates Gin for having little faith but was told otherwise by the president as he reminds him of Sasha's weak point much to the karate captain's shock as the latter's legs accidentally buckled out from under him but just before he falls to the ground, Haiji grabs a hold of Gin and hoists him over his shoulder like a sack of flour much to the latter's embarrassment.

"H-Hey, what're you––?!"

Gin asks questionably as Haiji lets out a sound of disapproval before scolding the latter as if he was a little kid caught red-handed of stealing a cookie from a jar.

"I understand your sentiments and all, but if you're going to stand around and think about it then you're not going to be much help."

Haiji said as Gin stiffens a bit and grumbles irritably while slightly pouting like a child before resigning himself of accepting Haiji's help as well as his advice.

"As if I need you to tell me that, you Lolicon perv."

"Takes one to know one... '[Though I'm more interested in what Byakuren had said...]'"

Haiji said before going back to what Byakuren had said moments prior as he recalls the English lessons that Sasha had taught him 2 years ago.

"'[So, if I recall correctly, the 'Ne' is derived from the word 'Neru', which means 'Sleep' and 'Hime' means 'Princess' so... 'Nehime', 'Sleeping Princess'...]'"

['Nehime' + Sasha + Enemy Withdrawal = SET-UP]

Haiji's eyes in shock as he pieces the facts together regarding the earlier attack on Sasha and the others as well as the Rokkagumi's sudden withdrawal and Byakuren's slipped tongue.

"Oh Shit–– GIN, WE'VE BEEN HAD––?!"

"Before you say anything, Haiji, let me tell you a little something: DON'T GO CONVERTING YOUR YŌKI RIGHT OFF THE BAT, YOU MORON!"

Haiji shouted as he accidentally converted his yōki into his strength and crushed Gin's calves but was cut by Gin's retort as he lets out a pained howl in the air as the rainfall continues to its descent.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile Over in Umiyuri Warehouse District)~**

Around the same time as Gin and Haiji, nearly two minutes have passed since Kabuto and Sasha had escaped through the hidden passageway underneath Kawamoto Inn courtesy of Sakaru.

"'[Amazing, she can still keep up with me even after I manipulated my chakra.]'"

Kabuto thought as he sees how effortlessly Sasha is keeping up despite him imbuing his legs with his chakra and praises her but was forced to take it back as he saw the girl's condition as she shivered visibly under the rainfall as if she was being hounded by 1,000 needles descending from the storm-colored sky.

"'[Ugh.. It feels like my body's heavy with lead!]'"

"'[So even girls like her have their limits though I gotta admit, she's something else...]'"

Sasha felt the pressure pounding away against her shoulders as she faced the droplets head-on without even flinching as Kabuto thought with concern, unaware of the incoming spot that's been worn out in the past and lost his footing as he slides down to the right side of the warehouse.

"*Shimatta!"

Kabuto said as he concentrated his chakra into his hands and clasped the roof's hip as a means of slowing down but was disappointed due to the rainfall had cascaded it clean.

"'[Not good! The roof has been in disrepair for quite sometime and thanks to the rain, it's been cascaded smoothed... If I don't stop myself, then I'll––?!]'"

As he rapidly approaches the slope, Kabuto hears an incoming sound of sliding as something clasped his wrist tightly as he found himself dangling from the edge of the slope and saw Sasha holding onto the railing as she shivers from the cold, ignoring the unending downpour as it pelts away at her body.

"'[She's not going to last much longer... At any rate, we need to get out of the rain and seek shelter or otherwise... Huh?]'"

Kabuto thought as he analyzed on Sasha's condition while looking around the surrounding buildings only to see a vacant building as Sasha scoots back and pulls him up on the roof before the former points out the same building as earlier.

"We'll rest there until the rain stops."

"Right..."

Kabuto said as Sasha nods in agreement as Kabuto preformed the same hand-signs as he did earlier and disappeared in smoke unaware that they were being watched by a pair of shadowed figures concealed in the endless sea of stacked crates residing inside another warehouse over on the opposite side.

"And like a moth to a flame, they've taken the bait..."

Said an mysterious figure as he emerges from the shadows and removed his hood – It was a a young man with short azure-blue hair slicked back and cheek-length bangs – He wore a black elbow-sleeved shirt with shin-length black jeans followed by a sleeveless cobalt-blue jinbaori tied with pale yellow datejime along with a eye-length cerulean-blue mask tied with a black silk ribbon – Unlike Byakuren and Shakuren, he carries an katana on his right hip and a *naginata strapped to his back.

"Yes *Seiren... I'll keep an eye on them, go and report this back to *Kokuren."

Said another one as he emerges from the shadows – It was a young man with mikado-yellow hair tied in a loose ponytail and chin-length bangs – He wore a elbow-sleeved black shirt with mid shin-length black jeans followed by a sleeveless maize-gold jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejime along with an eye-length yellow mask tied with a black silk ribbon and like Seiren, he too also possessed two weapons: a wakizashi attached to his left hip and a *kaiken concealed in his clothing.

"Aye aye, *Kōren... Oh and one more thing: Don't start the PARTY without us now."

Seiren answered nonchalantly as well as playfully warning Kōren not to one-up him much to the former's surprise.

"Oh don't worry, I won't and besides, it's no fun without having you guys around."

Kōren said as he smirked a fanged smile while Seiren huffed and performed the same technique as Shakuren did earlier as thunderclap had flashed before them.

* * *

 **~(** **Meanwhile back at the Kawamoto-ya** **...** **)~**

Around the same time, the Newspaper Club have gathered around in the inn's dining room to discuss about the situation at hand.

"Goddammit, this SUCKS!"

"Oh, did that fact occurred to you just now?"

Kokoa shouted as she slammed her balled fist against the wall as the sound had reverberated throughout the room and startled her fellow club-mates as Mizore comments sarcastically as she answers Kokoa's tantrum calmly as she gritted her teeth in anger and continued her rant.

"Why aren't you guys pissed off at the fact that we have to stay here while little miss Shōnenrashī goes off and plays the 'hero'! Did she honestly think that we're not capable of handling this sort of thing on our own?!"

Kokoa shouted as she pants heavily as Moka walks over to her rambunctious younger half-sister and hands over a glass of barley tea as a means of calming the young girl down.

"As much as I hate to say this but Kokoa's right, we're no strangers when fighting against dangerous adversaries, so why should this be any different than the last few times?"

Mizore said calmly before the room felled to silence again as Tsukune thought about the first time where he and the others met Sasha sometime during last year.

* * *

 **~(Flashback –** **Last Year** **)~**

 _**_ ** _We met Kanaka-san_ _sometime_ _during Ririko-sensei's class,_ _a_ _bout a_ _few days_ _before_ _the midterm exams..._**

 _Few months have passed since_ _April_ _as_ _the_ _s_ _tudents prepare for the midterms as a young woman with dark brown shoulder-length hair and light amber eyes with circular glasses - She wore a white v-neck buttoned shirt revealing some of her cleavage followed by a dark skirt with dark leggings and white heels - She_ _holds_ _up a_ _l_ _ogbook containing_ _student_ _attendance as she calls the names one by one before landing on a familiar name._

 _"Sasha A.I Kanaka-san? Kanaka-san? Absent again, huh?"_

 _She_ _asks curiously_ _before_ _the door slid open a_ _s it_ _divert_ _s_ _her attention along with the students' in one fell swoop to see a young 16-year-old Sasha_ _entering the classroom as she wears_ _her modified_ _uniform,_ _her necklace_ _in the place of the bow_ _, her usual midback-length indigo-purple ribbon and_ _the usual_ _pair of *uwabaki._

 _"Sorry I'm late, Ririko-sensei. My alarm didn't go off..."_

 _"Not at all, in fact you've made it just in time but I will see you after class."_

 _Sasha said sheepishly while the teacher ––_ _N_ _ow revealed_ _as_ _Kagome_ _Ririko-sensei ––_ _Looked over to the girl and_ _smiled gently a_ _s_ _she_ _dismissed it_ _but not before instructing the girl to see her after class._

 _ **Unlike Mizore's case, Sasha never had problems with the school but due to circumstances, she often takes a leave of absence for about a week or so.**_

 _"Everyone, this is Sasha A.I Kanaka. Due to special circumstances, she wasn't able to come to school much often so there may be some things that she's not aware of."_

 _Ririko said as she starts the lesson while the clock ticked away for the remainder of the period_ _while Sasha takes her seat beside the window over in the last row and prepares to take down notes._

* * *

 _ **~(Moments later – After School)~**_

 _The_ _whole day went on as the sun dyes the_ _concealed_ _world in its sunset-gold hue_ _and_ _its_ _leave for the dormitories and rest for the day while some were headed towards the fields for their athletic activities before cries were heard from a two-story building located across the field as the spectators looked over in curiosity._

 _"EH?! You mean to say that Kanaka-san is the club's Vice President?!"_

 _"That's the gist of it."_

 _The others half-said and half-shouted in shock as they glanced over to the girl in question as the latter plugged her ears in annoyance due to the combined velocity of her new clubmates._

 _"Yes, even though she's in the same year as everyone else, Kanaka-san has been a member of the club since her 3_ _rd_ _year in Jr. High through the recommendation of the previous club president."_

 _"Simply put, I'm basically your sempai in terms of experience."_

 _Nekonome said as she explains about how Sasha became a member prior to the now while the latter summed it in a simple manner before she was bombarded with questions from the others as a sigh was heard from the blackboard as they looked over their shoulders and saw Gin smiling to himself._

 _"Ah, it seems like only yesterday that Sasha-chan came here and asked to be a part of the club with that 'tender' glint in her eyes..."_

 _"Can we please get back to the topic at hand without having you spewing falsified crap or do you want a repeat of what happen the last time I was here?"_

 _"No, thank you. I really don't want to_ _re-experience_ _the whole *'Oni no Fukukaichō' debacle again."_

 _Gin said as he remembers the day of Sasha's recruitment as clear as the night while the latter retorted by reminding him of what had happened back when he was a 1_ _st_ _year, much to the latter's dismay and to the others' curiosity._

 _"_ _Well then, for all the trouble that this lazy bum had committed during the start of the year, you guys have my utmost apologies."_

 _"Sasha-chan, you can be so cold..."_

 _"Well I wouldn't have to be so cold if you kept your hands to yourself."_

 _Sasha said as she coolly reprimanded Gin for his behavior_ _before the latter_ _sighed_ _dejectedly as the others smiled_ _at his misfortune_ _and joined in on the fun as the days soon passed by them like cherry blossoms in the wind._

* * *

 **~(Several Days Later –** **In the** **Cafeteria** **)**

 _Following_ _the 'Public Safety Commission' incident, Tsukune was cleared of the suspicions that were against him after being tricked by Kuyo into revealing his true form to the rest of the club members_ _(minus Sasha)_ _and having Moka injecting her vampire blood into him as a means of saving his life._

 _**_ ** _Several days passed since the *PSC incident and word of its defeat by my (albeit Moka-san's) hands had spread throughout the school like wildfire._**

 _"During the period of closure, the students are to return to their respective homes immediately.' No way, I don't wanna be separated from Tsukune_ _!"_

 _Kurumu said as she repeats what the notice shows and tearfully hugs Tsukune much_ _to the girls' annoyance_ _as they pry the busty young girl off of him_ _before he suffocates to death_ _._

 _"Well if you take_ _it_ _into consideration, the damage was pretty severe..."_

 **_Shortly thereafter, the Headmaster had announced that_ _t_ _he school will be closed for renovation_ _due to the damages done to the school building_ _._**

 _"'[We learned of Tsukune's 'True Form' and not to mention, he nearly died of Kuyō's attack... If it wasn't for Moka injecting her blood into him then he wouldn't be here with us by now.]' Oh, and speaking of classes, has anyone seen Kanaka?"_

 _"_ _Wait, now that you think of it, she_ _'s been absent_ _for_ _a couple of_ _days_ _now_ _..."_

 _Yukari said as she_ _recalls the events_ _before_ _Kurumu_ _changes the subject_ _concerning a_ _certain nōshishoku-haired girl,_ _much to everyone's surprise as they recalled that they haven't seen Sasha after_ _the incident._

 _"Oh if you're looking for Kanaka-san, then she's still in the hospital."_

 _"_ _THE HOSPITAL?!"_

 _But before they can even questioned their Sempai's whereabouts, they were greeted by a passing student as he answered the club-mates' question, much to their shock._

* * *

 **~(Moments later over at Yōkai Gakuen Hospital Annex)~**

 _Much like the purposes of Yōkai Gakuen and Yōkai Institution, the Yōkai Hospital Annex provides medical care for Ayashi whenever 'special circumstances' arise while the sounds of the receptionist typing was the only thing that can be heard before it was accompanied with vibrations coming from the outside..._

 _"Eh?"_

 _...Was the only sound that the receptionist made as she witnessed a couple of multi-colored flashes_ _rushed_ _past the counter before the latter_ _calls_ _out to them._

 _"If it's about Kanaka-san, then she's on the 2_ _nd_ _floor in Rm. 406."_

 _"*Arigato-gozaimasu!"_

 _Piped the girls as they reached the elevator and pressed the button of the desired floor and wasted no time of exiting out of the elevator and rushed over to Kanaka's hospital room._

 _"Sasha-chan/Kanaka-san––?!"_

 _Everyone barged through the door and cried out altogether as_ _they encountered a doctor standing in front of the door._

 _"… … ..."_

 _It was_ _tall young man of early twenties with_ _reddish-_ _brown hair slicked neatly back and light green eyes with a distinctive scar_ _on_ _his_ _right_ _eye_ _– He wore a dull jade-green shirt followed by dark brown trousers tied with a black-leathered belt and sporting a white coat – With an intimidating glare that can make even_ _the toughest-_ _looking_ _*Yakuza-_ _jin_ _look like a choir boy_ _, Tsukune and the others went deathly pale as they stepped back and simultaneously performed *saikeirei apologetically._

 _"Pardon our intrusion!"_

 _Startled by the proclaim, the man remained silent as everyone had started trembling nervously before his patient chortled a little much to her classmates' surprise._

 _"It's alright, it's not as if he's going to eat you guys, so long as you don't do anything to annoy him... I think."_

 _"And this coming from the girl who flies off the handle immediately whenever she's called '_ _Shōnenrashījo'_ _or '_ _Miseiseijū_ _'_ _respectively_ _––?!"_

 _"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A_ _TOMBOYISH GIRL WHOSE BRUTE STRENGTH IS CONSIDERED AS HER ONLY REDEEMING FEATURE, YOU JERK_ _?!"_

 _Sasha said as her physician retorted_ _calmly_ _by mentioning the two forbidden words much to_ _everyone's shock_ _since_ _they've experienced Sasha's wrath firsthand as the girl in question jumped in a sprint and shouted while delivering airborne kicks to him in which the latter himself parried them effortlessly._

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback – Present Time)~**

"'[From what I've gathered, Kanaka-san has been hospitalized only AFTER the incident with *Oyakata-sama and the PSC––?!]'"

"Eh? What's wrong, Rubi-san?"

Rubi thought before Moka and Tsukune looks over at the young advisor assistant with concerned eyes before she was interrupted by Moka as Kokoa quieted herself down a notch and caused the others to look over at Rubi.

"Ah no, it's just... When did Nekonome-sensei announced the retreat last year?"

"Huh? About 3 days ago... Why do you ask?"

"And when did Kanaka-san called in sick?"

"Around the same time..."

Rubi asked questionably as they answered the older witch's question hesitantly for it was a matter of time before the very secret that Sasha herself had protected all her life will come to light.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile** **over** **the Abandoned Warehouse No. 41** **)~**

Around the same time, Kabuto and Sasha had settled themselves inside the vacant Warehouse 41 that was scheduled to be demolish within 2 months' time.

"Looks like we'll have to stay here until the rain lets up."

Kabuto said as he surveys the weather while looking over his shoulder to see a partially-dry Sasha seated on one of the wooden crates as she leans against the stacked ones from behind and shivers visibly.

"I heard that it was going to be bad until midnight tonight but not this bad..."

Sasha said as she gets up from her seat and sees the rain by the entryway as the water from the rafters drips down and falls onto her exposed nape causing her to shudder at the coldness of the rain as well as catching Kabuto's attention.

"Well, there's nothing to do except to wait but in the meantime, let's get out of these clothes."

Kabuto said as they walked away from the entrance and further into the warehouse till they came across box chalk full with clothes.

"I'm with you on that one, catching colds are no joke at this age and also not to mention––?! Wait, care to repeat that again for me please?"

They continued to search inside the box but not before Sasha voicing her opinion aloud until she realized something while slowly looking over to Kabuto of whom was knee-deep into the crate and asking him a question.

"It's like I said, 'let's get out of these clothes'; why? Is there a problem––?!"

Kabuto asked as he continues searching the crate until the rest of Sasha's question registered through as he thought about his words before pulling himself away from the clothes and looked up to see Sasha blushing a shade of red in which has caused him to do the same only a far deeper shade.

"… … … …"

Awkward silence enters the air as the rain continued to pour from the outside and one were to listen hard enough, you can hear the sound of crickets emitting from the background.

"I'm terribly sorry... Please forgive my insensitivity."

"That's okay, everyone makes mistakes sometimes––?!"

Kabuto apologizes for his remark as the blush becomes less visible and turns away from her while Sasha waved it off before sensing two presences of yōki and looked upwards to the rafters.

"'[This sensation...?! Oh shit, they've found us already?!]'"

"Kanaka-san, what is it? What's wrong––?!"

Sasha thought as Kabuto inquired before a strong sense of chakra emits from the rafters above – It was a tall young man with jet-black chin-length hair – He wore a black elbow-sleeved shirt followed by black jeans followed by a sleeveless ebony-black jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejime along with an eye-length obsidian-black mask tied with a silk black ribbon and dons a pair of twin kodachi swords sheathed in a *musaya.

"'[This huge output of chakra––?!]' Kanaka-san, I think we should––?!"

"*Ninpō: Kongōsekiga Keisei no Jutsu!"

The man said as he weaved a flash of hand signs in a rapid pace and bellowed against the loudness of the rain as glacier-like walls erupting from the drains and enveloped the building inside diamond-like camellia formation before he proceeded to unsheathe his twin kodachi and jabbed them into the rugged beam.

"And now... *Kokuren-ryū: Hyōmu-jō no Jutsu!"

Kabuto sensed Kokuren's chakra signature surrounding the perimeter as the latter shouted as his swords emits the very same spark prior to the now.

"Uh, Kanaka-san––?!"

Like a sudden jolt of one's heartbeat, everything has been dyed in a monotone shade of black and white as Sasha's image was reflected on Kabuto's lens for a moment and disappeared a second later.

"Kanaka-san––?! Disappeared? But how––?!"

Kabuto rushed over to the spot where the nōshishoku-haired girl was and nearly made his way over to the entrance but stopped himself in his tracks as the sound of walking was heard from the opposite side of the warehouse.

"'Disappeared' is such an ominous word, she was ESCORTED somewhere else without anymore distractions."

Kabuto stepped back a bit and turned around to see a young man with pine-green short-length spiked hair as his bangs were held back by a hairclip – He wore a black elbow-sleeved shirt with black jeans followed by a sleeveless meadow-green jinbaori tied with a pale yellow datejime along with a eye-length viridian-green mask tied with a black silk ribbon and like the cases with Byakuren, Shakuren and Kokuren, He also dons a kodachi attached to his waist.

"Greetings, Captain of the Rokkagumi's 6th Unit: *'Ryokuren' is my name and a pleasure to meet your acquaintance: Former *Root member and *Nuke-nin, Yakushi Kabuto––?!"

"There's this old saying that 'Ignorance is bliss'... And if you want to get out of here alive, then I suggest that you state your business while I'm still calm, Ryokuren."

"Now now, I meant no offense but what I truly want is just a conversation with you, Yakushi-san..."

Ryokuren said as Kabuto narrowed his eyes in anger at the mention of his status as images of a woman and sceneries were appearing after another until they were consumed by fiery-red flames as the young man's words touched a nerve as the wind roared loud with intensity as lightning clashed with each other and enveloped the scene in white.

* * *

 **~(** **M** **oments later...** **)** ~

"'[This huge output of chakra––?!]' Kanaka-san, I think we should––?!"

 **THUMP**!

That was what Kabuto had said before he was interrupted by Kokuren's technique as it went unheard except for a violent bang against the concrete and a tiny groan coming from inside the building.

"Ah–– Ow! Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna feel that in the morning––?!"

Sasha said as she massages her head and sits up before she sets it aside in light of her new surroundings inside the now-emptied warehouse as Sasha grimaced slightly and walks over to the entryway to see if the rain had stop, only to be taken back by the sky, which was once painted with a stormy-color hue like the midwinter sky, was now dyed in an eerie shade of indigo-purple with an hint of fiery-blue tint illuminated by the *sōkōji like trickling water underneath the light of the autumn moon.

"'[It's the same as that day...]' Though, I gotta admit... It's pretty impressive for you guys to go through this much trouble just for me... You guys must really want to see me in action, Rokkagumi..."

"Well now, this is such an rare honor indeed... To be praised by Yōkai Gakuen's 'Ayashi-rei no Musume' herself..."

"Such an rare honor indeed."

Sasha thought ominously as the images of an riverbank and a shadowy silhouette soon came into mind before offering words of praise to her captors' strategy as the air was filled with joyous sound of an familiar voice as Sasha looks over the rooftop of the opposite warehouse on the other side to see three familiar figures – It was Seiren, Kōren and Kokuren as they readied their weaponry and themselves to fight against Sasha A.I Kanaka... The 'Ayashi-rei no Musume' of Yōkai Gakuen.

* * *

Authoress: And with this, the chapter is over and done - I know, it's rather long (cuz it's seven pages). And without any further ado, we will see you next chapter.

P.S., more will be revealed in the 4th Bonus chapter so until then, Mata nē!


	10. Bonus II

Author's Note!

Hi there, my readers! It's finally here! I am terribly sorry for not updating sooner than later but I've been going over the story and been busy with more of the proofreading, corrections and I've decided to rewrite the title and personally, I think it's rather good. I hope that you have a wonderful day of reading my chapters! And like many of my other chapters, I do not own neither Naruto, Rosario+Vampire nor the characters except for a few OCS.

\- Sincerely, Yuuguregurl21 (formerly known as Neriaruku120695)

* * *

 **Chapter 8.1: 2** **nd** **Bonus Chapter II**

 **Chapter 10:** **10** **th** **Step in** **Repressing One's Condition** **,** **Overcoming** **One's** **Shortcomings and** **Reigniting** **One's** **Resol** **ve**

* * *

 _ _3 days__ _ _have__ _ _passed__ _ _ever__ _ _since the__ _ _clandestine attack__ _ _launched by the Rokkagumi and the Kurorōga as a means of kidnapping Saren but thanks to the intervention of Sakaru and the others, Saren had managed to keep a low profile, even if it was just by the skin of his teeth...__

 _ _Seeing how neither side__ _ _had gained__ _ _the upper hand, the Rokkagumi decided to postpone__ _ _the fight for another day__ _ _, thanks to the efforts of Saren, San and Yūko, however...__

 _ _...Even if it was by a hair's breadth, the price of ensuring the safety of Yōkai Gakuen and its students was paid very dearly.__

* * *

 **~(3 days later)~**

"Hey Haiji, can you pass me that hammer right there?"

Kanada asks as he assists both Haiji and Gin in repairing the patio which was once riddled with a stone slab with the same scale-like markings as before while Masaki works on the damage to the floor in the dining room area.

"Sure thing, here you go."

"Thanks very much."

Haiji said as he handed the said object over to Kanada as the latter thanked the older boy while the seagulls cawed overhead as they fly above the calm ocean.

"Okay and that should do it. Marin-san, we're done with the repairs over on this end!"

Kanada said as he analyzes the condition of the patio before the seagulls cried out above him as Marin called out from the snack bar while he, Gin and Haiji gather up the tools and headed towards the snack bar before Kanada looked up to the sky and saw the sun being blocked by passing clouds, shadowing the land.

"'[Saren...]'"

Kanada thought as he resumed his trek over to the snack bar along with the others as the clouds soon passes over and the summer sun once again illuminates the town.

* * *

 **~(4 Minutes Earlier)~**

 _The summer heat had lessen due to the storm_ _'s_ _passing as the sky was deprived of clouds and the ocean became more calmer while Umiyuri_ _inhabitants_ _pitched in their efforts of the_ _ir city's_ _reconstruction, all except for a certain hostel._

 _"The good news is, when Saren and the others decided to make themselves as decoys, we had put up a barrier surrounding both the inn and the warehouse."_

 _Rubi said as she pointed out the bright side of the situation at hand much to the relief of the Newspaper Club while Sakaru and Makoto had stood behind a young slightly dazed Saren._

 _"But the bad news is that the damages made to the warehouse_ _were_ _written off as 'lack of proper maintenance' whereas the damages done to the Inn is..."_

 _Marin said as she explains about the damages done to the already destroyed Warehouse 41 during Saren's fight against Kokuren and his comrades along with the help of San and Yūko while the latter himself twitched slightly in which did not unnoticed by Rubi as she proposes to help with the repairs behind the barrier in hopes of lightening up the boy's mood._

 _"So until the repairs can be done, we have to keep the barrier up for the time being and until Nekonome-sensei comes back from the school, I'll be in charge of who pairs up with who and who gets what, so don't complain."_

 _Rubi said as she holds up a clipboard bearing a chart of chores and the group who gets it much to the dismay of three certain boys._

* * *

 **~(4 Minutes Later)~**

In the end due to Kumaru's 'wishing' of getting the easiest job (albeit being on the same task as Tsukuyo) and the unfortunate luck of the draw, the Newspaper Club were divided into groups while Rubi assigned the jobs to them:

Group 1: Akashiya Mokato, Kurono Kumaru, Sendō Yūko, Shuzen Kokota, Shirayuki Miro – Main Entrance

Group 2: Morioka Ginei, Miyamoto Haiji, Sasaki Kanada, Kagenashi Masaki – Patio

As the repairs went underway, Kumaru and Mokato were reinforcing the door frames as they hammered the nails into the door header while hearing incoming footsteps of Yūko, Kokota and Miro rushing over with groceries in tow.

"Sorry we're late!"

"It was a while ago, moron!"

Miro said but was interrupted by Kumaru's irritation as Mokato tries to calm the young playboy, much to the latter's chagrin as Yūko states the reason behind their actions in regarding the condition of their nōshishoku-haired classmate.

"Sorry about that, we were just checking on how Kanaka-kun was doing, that's all."

"Yeah and how is he?"

"Same as he always been..."

Kumaru asked on the progress of his friend's condition as Kokota shook his head before remembering that the nōshishoku-haired boy going somewhere beyond the harbor district in search of a place to practice his figure skating as the sound of waves roars in the distance and the sunlight reflects on the calm ocean surface.

"Day and night, he practices as if there's no tomorrow and whenever he's not spinning like a top, he becomes lost in his thoughts."

Kokota said as the image of the nōshishoku-haired boy's back came into view as the latter himself looks up to the sky before resuming his practice.

"Man, just when we finally gotten away from our hectic school life, this sort of thing has to happen."

"You make it sound it's the end of the world, Kurono-kun––?!"

Kumaru said as he leans against the wall of the entryway and folded his arms across his chest as Mokato replied in a nonchalant manner as he helped with the groceries while Kumaru sighed and stood up straight from the entryway.

"Oh c'mon, dude... We're 2nd year students being close on the road to adulthood, right?"

Kumaru said as he states his points to his friendly rivals-in-love the prospects of summer break while Miro answered his questions unenthusiastically.

"Right, and your point being?"

"So we should spend our summer vacation to the utmost fullest!"

Kumaru said as he shouted with fervor as the images suddenly appeared in the background much to Mokato's dismay as he comically censored parts of his playboy friend's further imagination.

"...Is what I would like to say but having to spend only 1 day of fun, then having to sit around the inn for 3 days and spending the 5th day repairing really sucks!"

"And that's a bad thing because...?"

Kumaru grumbled angrily as he recalls the moments that transpired three days ago while Miro asked in a nonchalant tone much to the boys' displeasure.

"Because it totally ruined–– No, it OBLITERATED my plans, dammit!"

"And by 'plans', you mean having the chance of seeing Aono Tsukuyo-chan in a 'sexy swimsuit', is that it?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it means!"

Kumaru said as he complains about how the recent events had hindered his plan while an unknown voice calls out from behind the latter and points out the true motive which caused the former himself to confirm the question blindly.

"… … … …"

Awkward silence ensues and as one were to listen hard enough, you can hear the sound of the cicada emitting from the background as well as the silent fuming of an annoyed Mokato, Miro and Yūko sighing exasperatedly at their incubus friend as Kumaru sweat-dropped nervously and glanced over his shoulder to see two individuals.

"Guess Saren wasn't exaggerating when he said that four guys were going 'gaga' over a Human female."

Said ***Kuruizaki Riō – A young 17-year-old boy with dark blond hair highlighted with silver-starlight and ocean-green eyes – He wore a scarlet-red singlet with a short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned along with black bands on his wrists followed by jeans and a pair of jet-black tennis shoes.

"Now now, Riō; the 'rules' don't apply to these guys but the playboy's right about one thing, so you can't blame him for wanting a little thrill in your life."

Said ***Yabi Yin – A young 17-year-old boy with azure-blue short hair that is like the blue sky and dark crimson-red eyes like unrefined rubies - He wore a light brown sleeveless shirt with knee-ripped blue jeans along with white-blue tennis shoes.

"You do have a point there, Yin but that's hardly the case with these guys..."

Said ***Kokuyo Inutō – A young 16-year-old fair-skinned young boy with short silver-white hair accented with red highlighted tips and honey-gold eyes – He wore a fiery-red singlet shirt underneath an short-sleeved shirt with flame designs etched at the hem followed by navy-blue pants and dark mahogany-brown sneakers.

"'[Especially since some of them are out for each other's throats.]'"

Inutō thought nervously as he recalls reading letters given to him by Saren a few months prior to the now and like Masaki and the others, they too are also fellow childhood friends to the nōshishoku-haired boy.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, we're the Newspaper Club: I'm Akashiya Mokato, and this is Kurono Kumaru, Sendō Yūko, Shirayuki Miro and my younger brother, Shuzen Kokota."

"The pleasure's mine as well, I'm Kuruizaki Riō, this is Yabi Yin and Kokuyo Inutō. So then, has anyone seen Sarre? He was suppose to meet us up at the town square 3 days ago but didn't answer his cellphone when we called."

Mokato introduce himself along with introducing Kumaru, Yūko, Miro and Kokota as Riō happily introduced himself and the other two before asking for Saren's whereabouts, unaware of the boys' expressions and remaining silent until Yin breaks the ice.

"Did something happen?"

* * *

 **~(Flashback –** **3 days ago** **)~**

 _The sky grew gray rapidly until it became pitch-black as if someone had spilled a bottle of ink across_ _a blank_ _canvas as the air had_ _grew_ _colder from the rainfall and the ground littered with a large sum of puddles as they reflect the cloudless_ _night_ _sky. In a way, it was as though the earth had opened tiny gate_ _way_ _s to the starry heavens._

 _*Splish... Splish... Splish...*_

 _However, the stillness of the beautiful scenery had come to an end as the sound of soft splashing had entered the area, breaking the silence and the steadied water has begun to rupture slowly by small ripples until..._

 _*Splash*_

 _T_ _he image_ _s broke the illusion_ _as it revealed a slightly-drenched Saren carrying an unconscious Yūko on his back while a silent Otonashi San trails behind him – With his form-fitting denim-jean_ _blue shirt being destroyed and his cloak given to the young *Tejinaji, his attire has been reduced to a simple sleeveless black tank-top and matching black jeans._

 _*Splish... Splash... Splish...*_

 _With every step they take, the water becomes more and more distorted by the ripples as the boys made their way to the Kawamoto-_ _ya_ _in silence, neither one breathing a single word to one another as they both continued to walk towards the lightly damaged inn until Saren had approached the entryway._

 _"It's probably be best that I don't mention about what happen... If word were to reach the school, then the situation right now will go from BAD to WORSE."_

* * *

 **~(End of Flashback)~**

"'[They'll freak out if we told them about what happen, then perhaps...]'"

Mokato thought as he debated on informing the boys but eventually decided against it and told them what had transpired 3 days ago, purposely leaving out important details concerning Saren's fights with the Rokkagumi.

"I see, is that so; huh? Well... To be honest, he's always been like that ever since we were kids."

"Yeah, this is Saren we're talking about here. I mean, with him; it's like waiting for a bomb to go off or something."

Riō said as he and the others sighed in deep thought as he and Inutō began to recall Saren's habit of keeping things to himself while a familiar voice had entered the conversation.

"Akashiya, where is Saren right now?"

"Down at the harbor district, beyond the docking area and into *Rinka's Cove, choreographing his moves for next year's competition, why?"

As the owner of the said voice asks for Saren's whereabouts as Mokato answered before the sudden realization sits in and looks over his shoulder to see a familiar face.

"I can see where you guys are getting at but if you back a man into a corner, you'll won't like the outcome but rest assure, I happen to know how to approach it."

The mysterious figure said as he was revealed to be the very same man that had appeared during the majority of Saren's childhood whenever the boy's hour of need was dire while beckoning the others closer to him as he explains his plan in secret.

* * *

 **~(Meanwhile over** **at** **Rinka's Cove)~**

Around the same time as Mokato and the others, the summer wind grew cool as the climate becomes mildly warm while the seagulls cry out from above Yurika's Peak and below the rocks near Rinka's Cove.

 _*Splish... Splash... Splish... Splash*_

Whereas the ocean conjures waves from its open clearing, it sends them crashing onto the rocky interior of the cove as they had scared the nesting seagulls and sent them high into the air as the gentle sound of clacking fills the air, accompanied by the sound of metal gliding against a stilled flat surface as it echoes soundly.

"'[ALRIGHT, here's goes everything.]'"

The metal scraped against the surface until it reveals to be Saren standing on the frozen water – He wore a comfortable-fitted dark amethyst-coloured tracksuit with matching pants and black skates – His hair, which was once short and spiky-flat, has now grown up to his mid-back and tied into a low-ponytail as he continues his trek on the ice before his reflection shows him sporting a very different attire.

"Romanian Prodigy Shinji Saki, who is in 1st place after his Short Program yesterday, has now taken the floor. His music is 'Hikari'."

 _*~Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte kurayami ni hikari o ute~_

Suddenly, the scenery changes into a different one as it shows a lightly-tanned young man with dark rondo-purple short hair tied into a half-ponytail – He wore an imperial-indigo bell-sleeved kimono-shirt followed by charcoal-black pants accented with platinum-sliver belt-like bandages – He skates across the floor as a voice calls out the individual's name as the music soon filled the air as the latter lifts his head and began his program.

"Kokorozashi has five quads planned... The first one is his signature move, a quad Axel."

Said the 1st commentator as Saki did a 4½ turn and lands on the ice effortlessly as he proceeded further as if he was in sync with the song.

 _~Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana~_

"Up next is a triple toe-loop, single toe-loop and a quad Lutz combination! An all-time favourite of his coach, former gold medalist *Kaede Lanterna."

The commentator said as Saki did a triple to one jump before performing a counter-clockwise quadruple jump and lands on the ice as the crowd goes wild as the latter's fellow colleague cried in joy.

"And such perfect execution, very clean!"

He said as the audience quieted themselves down as Saki danced elegantly as he skates backwards across the ice as he dons a distant look as the women fawned soothingly.

 _~Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa kazoku ni mo shōkai suru yo kitto umaku iku yo..._ ~

"What a compassionate step sequence... His theme for this season is 'Ambition'."

The 2nd commentator said as he remarks Saki's step sequence and looks over to his papers to review about the latter's theme for this season.

 _~Donna toki datte zutto futari de, donna toki datte soba ni iru kara kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru mayonaka ni~_

"'Hikari' is a program performed by his coach, Kaede Lanterna and his late younger brother, *Shisha Lanterna, during their exhibition skate from *GPF past."

The commenter remarked the origin of the program as the camera zooms in over to the sidelines revealing Saki's coach – A slightly fair-skinned young man of early mid-thirties with bellflower-blue hair tied into a short ponytail and navy-blue eyes – He wore an black turtle-neck sleeved shirt with a dark navy-blue coat followed by matching trousers and black loafers.

 _~Urusai toori ni haitte unmei no kamen o tore~_

"*Salut, Momota-kun!"

Kaede smiled a little as he watches Saki's performance before glancing over to the camera and greets the broadcasters in Romanian while the spectators recalls the latter's feats before going into retirement due to familial reasons as the scene soon changes over to Saren as he lands a triple Salchow as the music becomes more upbeat.

"'[Up next is a triple toe-loop, double toe-loop, quad flip and a camel spin combination!]'"

 _**~Motto hanasō yo kuzen mo no ashita koto mo terebi keshite watashi no koto dake o miteite yo~_

Saren thought as he and Saki mirrored each other's movement as they vaulted in the air 3-2 times before doing a quadruple jump and spin perfectly in place as if they were dancing on both sides of a mirror while the crowd and the waves roared spectacularly as they slowed down and outstretched their arms into the air.

"And Shinji Saki has crushed the Free Skate Program!"

The commentator cries out in excitement as the crowd cheers wildly as Saki takes a bow as it reveals that the whole event was only a recording featuring on Saren's laptop, which was stationed little ways away from the shoreline of the cove as Saren leans against a rock to untie his skates as the video comes to a stop.

"As I thought, you truly are a natural when it came down to ice skating..."

Said an unknown voice as Saren paused a little and looked over to where his laptop and dufflebag are located as the owner of the voice finally comes to light.

"Despite of the fact that you were newbie to the sport, you nailed the basics in a matter of 9 seconds."

The man said as he remembers Saren getting the hang of ice skating despite that the latter himself was new to the sport at the time.

"And this coming from the man who disobeys the coach's warnings of teaching me the quads despite my young age, *Masamune-nīsan?"

Saren said as the man was revealed to be Sanada Masamune – A young man with light coffee-brown hair and light blue eyes with the exception of his side-swept bangs obscuring his right – He wore an abyss-blue shirt with form-fitting blue jeans and midnight-blue sneakers followed by a navy-blue tracksuit jacket - Saren smiled softly at the recollection as he was bombarded with so many tips from his fellow team-members.

"I remember how Coach Kuroyuki used to catch us all red-handed and scold us from late evening to early morning..."

Saren said as he remembers of how he, particularly Masamune, would get caught performing the quads by their coach and be lectured from morning to night, much to Masamune's embarrassment.

"Great... Thanks for reminding me kid, I almost forgotten the whole scolding part."

Masamune said sarcastically as he recalls of being the receiving end of the lecture as a faint tinge of pink coloured his cheeks as his face tenses in irritation.

* * *

 **~(3 Minutes Later)~**

The air soon grew to be mildly cool as the marketplace near the harbor became more lively as people come and go from the docking area to the warehouses.

"So, I hear that you caught someone else's eye, not that it's new or anything but... it's far different than what that you've encountered so far."

Masamune said as he and Saren walked through the marketplace whilst browsing along the stands before Masamune quickly added his remark of the nōshishoku-haired boy's encounters during the course of his stay at Yōkai Gakuen.

"You have no idea..."

Saren mumbled as he absent-mindedly browses the stalls' merchandise before setting his sights on a pair of midnight-blue bicep-length fingerless gloves as Masamune secretly pays the vendor for the set as he gives the former a gift-wrapped set in which the one-eyed young man hid behind himself.

"Speaking of catching up, how are you nowadays?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, I've been good, considering the fact that I've turned 18 nearly 2 weeks ago... why you'd ask?"

Masamune then asks about Saren's current well-being to which the young man replies unconcerned while asking Masamune's question curiously before coming face to face with the gift-wrapped box as Masamune smirks playfully and congratulates the young nōshishoku-haired teenager.

"Happy belated 18th birthday, Sarre... Every guy is in need of an upgrade once he becomes a man."

"'[Masamune...]' **THANKS**."

Saren looks over to Masamune surprisingly and smiles in relief as he puts the gift-wrapped package away in his pocket before Masamune smirked mischievously before slinging his arm around the boy's neck.

"Now then, you've just become an young adult, right?"

Masamune tells Saren a question that the latter himself is considered as an adult in which Saren raises his brow in suspicion as the former clears his throat.

"So, is there something that you need to get off your chest? Particularly, what happened back at the warehouse––?!"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else? Because, I don't know about you but I can't really do much without any distractions, especially here."

Masamune asks in a not-so-innocent tone as Saren narrowed in seriousness as he asks for a change in scenery as women attempting to steal a glance at him in a not-so-secret way.

"I see what you mean, you've always been a 'Nadeshiko' ever since you were a kid––?!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A NADESHIKO, YOU JERK?!"

Masamune said as he thinks back to how uncomfortable Saren is with grand amount of eyes staring at the latter due to his looks and his status as a *Hāfu while accidentally uttered the forbidden word before the young schoolboy retaliated in anger much to Masamune's annoyance.

* * *

 **~(2** **0 minutes** **later** **)**

Saren and Masamune soon made their way to the warehouse district and entered an abandoned storage unit as the summer heat begins to dwindle a little.

"I heard it from the *Momoiroke and the others, about your meeting with this *'Shiren' character from the other night."

Masamune asked as Saren smiled at his friend's nickname for Mokato as the outside was blanketed by passing clouds and shadowed the scenery before Masamune sighed and tried again only this time, however, he soon threatened to used the boy's affectionate 'nickname' again.

"So am I going to find out the easy way or the hard way, Pisicuţă––?!"

"It's not what he said that riled me up, but rather it's what he showed me."

Saren said as he pulled out 2 photographs along with a wrinkled letter from his back pocket and showed them to Masamune before his lone eye widened in shock.

"I see, so he played that card on you, did he?"

Masamune said as the photographs now revealed Reikū, Izayoi over at the Institution as well as their childhood home, Shinrinmura; Saren nodded curtly as the wind rattles the loose bolts high up in the rafters.

"Yeah and he said that if I don't give him my answer by midnight tonight, everyone will be held responsible for my actions."

Saren said bitterly as he remembered the smirk on Shiren's face while Masamune read the letter's contents with a concerned gaze before turning his gaze over to the nōshishoku-haired boy.

"'[I'd figured as much..]' So, what do you plan on doing?"

"Excuse me?"

Masamune asks curiously as Saren quizzed a brow before looking back to the ground as the wind lowered its temperature as Masamune continues his questions before Saren interruption.

"I mean, not to take any sides or anything but––?!"

"If I were to comply, then that would mean I'll run the risk of exposing the school and the goal for coexistence would become even harder than before but if I don't..."

Saren said shakily as he theorized of what would happen to Reikū and the others if he were to decline before trembling in fear, theorizing the outcome if he were to decline.

"Then Reikū and the others will suffer the consequences."

"'[Regardless of the support he has, he doesn't want anyone to get hurt on his account... Now then, what to do?]'"

Masamune grimaced as he recalls of how Saren receiving support from those closest to him and how reckless he becomes whenever he takes matters into his own hands before a realization had dawned on him as he smiled mischievously and walked over to the nōshishoku-haired boy.

"Hey Sarre, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure thing."

Masamune asked as Saren shrugged it unenthusiastically as the former looked over to the one-eyed teenager as he sees the latter's smile.

* * *

 **~(Moments later)~**

Around the same time, the neon-lights illuminates the Arcade as bystanders walked past *'Mōsōmu Discothèque' – A white building with an garden loft covered with moss-green vines with moonflowers blossoming in beauteous harmony while the downstairs reveals a bay-styled window that shows the inside combined details of French-Japanese influence as the sound of grunting was heard.

"Well now, isn't this exciting? Just us guys enjoying quality time together. The summer breeze hanging in the air, the crescent moonlight illuminating the land and oh, my personal favorite – Scaling the wall across a river of hot LAVA!"

Masamune said tenderly before he shouting sarcastically over to Saren - He donned a blackish-red tank-top underneath a sleeveless blue shirt buttoned halfway followed by a pine-green jeans and black boots as his hair is styled in a spiky-ponytail - As he and Saren were seen scaling the slope of an stone archway as the flow of lava was disturbed by a falling rock and caused a blast to erupt as it nearly scorches Masamune's hair.

"You did say, and I quote, 'since it's you, I'll let you treat me this time.'"

Saren said bluntly as he recalls Masamune's suggestion moments earlier due to hime thinking that Saren would go for the simplest things but was proven wrong – He sports a rondo-purple tanktop with indigo-blue jeans followed by his midnight-blue bicep-length fingerless gloves along with half calf-length black boots as he styled his hair into a high ponytail as a bead trickles towards to the bridge of his nose as it falls off and evaporated due to the intense heat.

"Yeah, the next time I say something that careless again, just punch me in the face."

"Affirmative."

Hearing that, Masamune blatantly requested the young man to punch him the next time he says something carelessly in which the nōshishoku-haired boy replied curtly before sensing an incoming gust of wind coming from exit as both men to press themselves against the wall in order to avoid being blown away by the wind.

"Masamune-nīsan, hang on tight or you'll be blown away––?!"

"Gahh!"

"MASAMUNE!"

Saren shouted at Masamune as the wind creates a dust cloud as it hits them head-on as Masamune recoils from the sensation and accidentally slipped as Saren jumps down after him as he use his tantō knife to severe his ponytail in a swift motion as his left pupil expanded and glowed brightly as his left hand emits a familiar spark as it envelopes Saren's hair and transforms into a sash-like *kusarigama before swinging it in a spiral motion as it envelopes itself around Masamune's torso.

"Alright, and now...!"

Saren said as he jabs his tantō deep into the wall as he skids to a stop as Masamune dangles midair before unconsciously willed his kusarigama to extend in length and coiled itself around the embedded tantō's hilt like a snake as he helped himself shift into a more comfortable position.

"Ah shit, he's heavy..."

Saren thought as he brings Masamune up towards the former as the wind startles the young man as he ignores it and grabs Masamune's arm as he hoists the latter over his shoulder like a sack of flour before channeling his yōki as he takes off in a sprint and lands perfectly onto the platform.

"Alright, I need to check for any sign of bleeding––?!"

"Aw shit, my head..."

Saren said as he lays Masamune down to the ground and proceeded to check the back of his head for any signs of trauma before was taken back by Masamune waking up as he sits up and rubs the back of his head.

"And he's back to the living."

"Heh heh, you know, you're beginning to remind me of an certain someone I once knew––?!"

Saren said sarcastically as Masamune was about to compare Saren's antics to an old acquaintance of his before they were taken by surprise of an flame pillar erupting behind them.

"Ah! _Pft–– Ha, ha, ha~!_ _"_

They yelped as they hugged each other out in fright before they looked at each other before they started to snicker lightly as they both break out in a bout of laughter.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I've laughed this much... Well, except for the time that you and *Daisuke got ejected from the village's hockey team for unsportsmanlike-like brawling."

"I know, but it's great to see that you're getting back to your old self... Somewhat."

Saren said as he quieted down a notch as Masamune smiled softly as he remarked of how well Saren was cheering up, albeit a little.

"C'mon, we need to get to the finish line before time runs out."

"Right."

As Masamune bumped fists with Saren's as they proceeded their way to the end of the field though unbeknownst to them, they were carefully being supervised by Tenmei, of whom was going through some documents with the staff and teachers, as well as overseeing the progress of the two men from a pond-like mirror.

"Well now, isn't this a swift kick to the face? It's only been 3 days and Kanaka-kun is already in trouble."

Said Tenmei as he and teaching staff had gathered in his office to talk about the unexpected events happening in the Human World.

"*Shochō, about the problem at hand."

"Ah yes, please continue."

Said Kagome Ririko – A woman with dark brown hair and light amber eyes with circular glasses – She wears a white v-neck buttoned shirt revealing some of her cleavage followed by a dark skirt with dark leggings and white heels – As she reminds Tenmei the reason of calling in the staff and the teachers as the latter cleared his throat and gestured another teacher to continue with the investigation.

"In regards to the incident, I say that we should call off the retreat and then have the *Kōan'iinkai investigate––?!"

"I'm well-aware of that, Kotsubo-kun but unfortunately, we're all pressed on time."

Said Okuto Kotsubo – A man with auburn-red hair and black eyes – He wore a white tracksuit with blue linings and blue trimmings followed by black shoes with yellowish-green linings – He propose to have the Kōan'iinkai to investigate but was immediately rebuffed by Tenmei's answer as he reminds everyone that the boy was pressed on time by 4 minutes as they all continued to watch over Saren and Masamune as they dodged incoming blasts of a geyser field.

* * *

 **~(3 minutes late** **r** **)~**

In the meantime, Saren and Masamune comes across a a rushing river leading to an raging waterfall as the misty air rises with the wind, Saren used some to slick his bangs back as he makes his way to the other side with Masamune in tow.

 _*Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump...*_

The deafening sound of Saren's heartbeat echoed throughout his body like a drum as he vaults over a series of stone steps at a time until his leg slips into the rushing water and retract it instinctively like a cat jumping back from a splash of water while Masamune remains hot on the boy's heels.

"'[It's nice to know that Sarre is becoming more like his old self again but––?!]'"

 _ _*Splash__ _*_

 _"… … … …"_

Masamune smiles at Saren's development but was interrupted by falling into the river due to him not paying attention to an already destroyed step in front of him as silence ensures before Masamune emerges from the water and gasps for air as he splashes about frantically before feeling the riverbed.

"HUH?"

Masamune ceased his franticness and stood up from the water as a means of revealing the water's actual depth – What he thought to be a bottomless river was actually a few inches above knee-length.

 _"… … … …"_

Silence ensues as the sound of the crickets emitting from the background as the thought of Saren witnessing the whole thing had entered Masamune's mind as he sweats profusely while looking left to right as he sees Saren halfway to the other side much to the boy's relief.

"Phew... Glad he didn't see that~!"

"'[Sorry, Masamune-nīsan but I heard everything...]'"

Masamune thought relievedly though the whole thing was silently witnessed by Saren due to his hearing was incredibly enhanced by his yōki as he struggles to keep his laughter in before he jumps onto another step as he leaps over a decayed step and lands onto a higher ledge of the other side.

"This is it. Masamune-nīsan, the finish line is just above the plateau––?!"

Saren said as he calls out to Masamune from behind as he makes his way up the wall before the mountain shook violently as it caused Saren to momentarily lose his footing as he struggles to regain it before the aftershock caused the rocks to buckle from the ledge and collapse as the boys stared at the incoming avalanche wide-eyed before channeling their yōki again as they dodged the boulders as they raced to the top until Saren's foot got caught on aging branch as it snaps in two.

"Oh shit, Saren!"

Masamune cries out to the young nōshishoku-haired boy as he skids down to the lower level before seeing his make-shift kusarigama up ahead and makes his way to it until he passed his tantō and grabs onto his sash before the mountain shakes violently as a huge boulder makes its way towards to Saren as he regained his footing properly until the avalanche paralyzes the latter in fear as a million of thoughts had raced through his mind like a raging tsunami during a hurricane.

"'[NO! If he gets caught up in that, he'll die!]' SAREN, RUN!"

"'['Run'? But to where?! If I don't do something, I'm gonna die! Gonna die... Gonna––?!]'"

Saren thought as he looks to the left and right for any signs of wave-cut platforms as the rumbling grew to be less louder by the minute as the sight of the boulder was reflected in Saren's eyes until its reflection ceases to be clear as the muffled sound faded away as darkness envelopes Saren's line of vision.

"'[This seems rather familiar... Come to think of it, if darkness was the one that gave me a beginning then... Will it give me ending––?!]'"

Saren thought vaguely until a familiar cloaked figure appears before him – It was Shiren as he begins to remark of how Saren has been holding himself back and how unstoppable he'll become once he casts his 'shackles' and unleashes his powers before his image soon changes into Saren's.

"[Regardless of how much you've held back over the years or how much you've retrained yourself...]"

Saren's right eye reveals a morning glory-shaped pupil as it radiates an eerie shade of blue until the reflection slowly begins to change in appearance – His dark rondo-purple hair, which was short and windswept, soon grows back in length until it reaches his hips as his body takes on an masculine build.

"'[NO! I refuse to give that bastard the satisfaction by simply giving into his demands!]"

Shiren said as Saren sees the latter smiling sinisterly behind the reflection before Saren as he vigorously shakes off Shiren's ideology until his right eye pupil expands in size and glows intensively as the world around him was dyed in white as a streak of fiery-blue appeared before him and brought him back to reality.

"I'M NOT OUT OF THE GAME JUST YET!"

Saren quickly refocused himself as the scene quickly dyes itself in hues of blue-violet as the very same streak soon turns itself into a dragon and maneuver itself out of harm's way as Saren followed it before coming face-to-face with the hulking rock as he released an exceed amount of yōki and caused it to explode into a thousand of pieces as he made his way to the top and land on the platform only to stop his tracks as he hears the sound of clapping.

"Bravo! Such an amazing accomplishment, and only 1 minute to spare."

"Shiren––?! Masamune-nīsan––?!"

Said an incoming voice as Saren quickly turned hostile and slowly reaches for a hidden tantō secretly tucked away behind his back but was stopped by Masamune's intervention and placed himself between the two men as silence enters the atmosphere before Shiren breaks the ice.

"Judging by your silence and the fact that I'm still standing, hale and hearty; I can only ask one thing: Do I have your answer?"

"… Yes, I have."

As the wind wailed eerily as it rustles the flowers to lose their petals as they swirled around the three men before they were disperse by the sound of Saren's voice as he opened his eyes as they don a look of determined resolve.

* * *

Authoress: AND THE BONUS CHAPTER IS DONE! I am so sorry for not updating soon but after a getting a case of writers' block here and there, I have finally completed it!

With this done, I can now go on creating the next chapter - The 2nd Bout between Sasha and the Rokkagumi is now at hand!

And for the last time, I do not own neither Rosario+Vampire or NARUTO or anything that shows up in here!. All criticsim is accepted so until next time, see you guys then!

P.S., I own nothing.


	11. Author Note I

Author's Note!

Hello, my readers and reviewers! I am terribly sorry if I didn't update sooner than I planned! (Bows profusely)

Mostly because of me being inflicted with Writers' Block, housework, preparing for both Thanksgiving and Christmas but hopefully I should be able to have more time for more of my chapters later on.

But here is the long-awaiting Footnote chapter that I have been telling you guys about, so please enjoy it and tell me what you think!

* * *

 **Terminology** :

1.) Ainokoyō ( 間の子妖 'Crossbreed Yōkai'): Commonly known as the subspecies of the Hanyō (半妖 'Half-Demons') though not much is known about them except that they were found sometime during the mid-16th Century but due to their mixed heritage, they were often mistaken for the 'Monstrels' or 'Outcast Ayashi' due to the nature but unlike the Outcasts, the blood of the Yōkai progenitor(s) can either skip a generation or remain inactive for long periods of time.

\- Ainoko (間の子 'Crossbreed') is an short term for the Ainokoyō (間の子妖 'Crossbreed Yōkai').

Appearance: Like the Ayashi, the Ainokoyō doesn't differ that much from the average human with the exceptions of the standard abilities that the Ayashi have and are characterized by their unusual hair/eye colors (Rondo-purple, Midnight-blue, etc).

Abilities: Not only are the Ainokoyō are adaptable in learning Yōjutsu but they're also capable of Yōki Conversion and can heal much faster than the average Yōkai as well as excelling in performing Yōki Detection, much like a vampire.

It's also revealed that they can even perform either standard or high level procedures of alchemy (錬金術 'Renkinjutsu'), witchcraft (魔術 'Majutsu') and Ninja Arts (忍法 'Ninpō'); one of the most noteworthy trait of the Ainokoyō are their eyes.

As true to their nickname, 'Flower-eyed Demons' (華眼妖怪 'Kagan Yōkai'), the Ainokoyō irides are shaped just like a flower (EX.: Lisianthus, peony, rose, etc). In their dormant stage, they are shaped in a flower bud formation but if an Ainoko awakens as an 'Adult' or succumbs to a grand amount of stress through any means, then the irises immediately expands into a blossom state.

2.) Kinkijū (禁忌獣 'Taboo Beast'): Exactly how the Hanyō are considered as a 'taboo existence', the Kinkijū are considered as an abomination due to their creation is a combination between science and black magic.

3.) Shurui Kōtai (種類交代 lit. translation 'Category Alteration') is an ability that allows its user to recreate his/her Monstricity genes into another one, somewhat similar to the German Yōkai, 'Doppelgänger' and the Vampire's Transformation Ability.

Furthermore, it's stated that is the user were to invoke the Shurui Kōtai on the moment that they've awakened, their powers increased by 100% (120% in the protagonist's case) and that it can extends the wielders' lifespan and retards their aging process.

4.) Demon Hunter (鬼猟師 Oniryōshi): Exactly as the name implies, they are people who makes their living in hunting down Yōkai though there's been many different versions over the years but unlike the stereotypical kind that is consisted of humans, the Oniryōshi are entirely consisted of Ainoko/Hanyō and requires pair cooperation.

5.) 'Converted Ones' (仮装人'Kasōjin'): Is an term is used for humans who were bestowed with the 'Kiss of Darkness' (blood transfusion) or the 'Kiss of Dark Awakening' (bathed) by the blood of pureblooded demons (純血妖怪 'Junketsuyō') of a direct lineage.

– 'Awakened Being' (覚醒人'Kakuseijin'): This term is used for the Ainokoyō when they came of age however if an Ainoko were to experience an premature awakening, the recipient's yōki is amplified by the latter's emotions, up to the point where it threatens to break yōki-infused items and chakra-infused techniques tasked in maintaining sealing and containment spells, such as barriers, and causes it to shatter in a matter of seconds, leaving the said area exposed to an all-out assault.

6.) Sakaiyō (境妖怪 'Boundary Yōkai') is an archaic term for Half-breeds (半分の 'Hanbun no').

 ***(More Information about the story's factions with be revealed in Chapter AN II, so stay tuned~!)***

* * *

Authoress: More will be revealed in the Author's Chapter II, so please wait patiently, my readers! And also, I've been having a Dreamworks' Dragons Marathorn over the past week and I am on the fence of having an crossover concerning Naruto and How to Train Your Dragon.

Remember, all reviews and opinions are welcome and if you want, you can input on what I should do for my 9th chapter that is still in the works (via PM).

So all in all, have a Happy New Year, everyone! ^w^


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